Leverett Center Historic District
Why it's listed
Leverett Center Historic District covers about 467 acres in the southern half of Leverett, a rural Franklin County town of roughly 2,000 people. It runs about two miles along Depot and Montague Roads and centers on a civic core near Leverett Pond, where the town common once lay. Town Hall, the Post Office, the First Congregational Church, the former Beaman-Marvell Box Factory and the Field Memorial Library cluster there. Most contributing buildings are modest wood-frame houses with restrained detail, representing Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival styles. Stone walls line the roads, and no working farms remain, though historic barns survive. The district holds 46 contributing and 51 noncontributing resources, and its period of significance runs from about 1750 to 1958. It reflects the town's growth from farming settlement to a small center with a railroad link, a box factory and the separation of church and town government. Painter Erastus Salisbury Field is among the local figures associated with the area.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the civic, religious and residential core of a small hill town, with vernacular Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Colonial Revival buildings from about 1750 to 1958. It shows how the town developed, including the separation of church and state that led to a separate church and town hall. It also has ties to portrait painter Erastus Salisbury Field.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08001127, listed December 5, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Amherst, Montague, Depot, and Shutesbury Rds., Leverett |
|---|---|
| County | Franklin County |
| Listed | December 5, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08001127 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1750-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Josiah Pomeroy, Jr. (carpenter, First Congregational Church); Karl S. Putnam (Field Memorial Library); Bernhard Dirks (Leverett Elementary School) |
| Architectural style | Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The general condition of the buildings is described as good, though some, such as the Field Tavern, are altered and dilapidated. |
| Acreage | 467 |
| Coordinates | 42.46395, -72.50568 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08001127.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6535286
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.