Red Brick School
Also known as: Centre School District Schoolhouse
Why it's listed
Built in 1833 at 2 Lincoln Street in Franklin, Massachusetts, this one-story, one-room schoolhouse was erected for the Centre School District after a 22 to 8 vote of district residents. A building committee specified brick construction, 36 by 30 feet, with a square roof and eleven windows. The painted red brick walls sit on a cut granite foundation, with original granite steps and an old mudscraper still in place. Changes have been modest: toilets moved from the basement to an adjacent structure, a coal furnace later converted to oil, and a window turned into a door for fire exits. The state closed the school as unsafe in May 1959, but the town funded repairs and reopened it that September. In 1970 residents again voted against phasing it out. Shade trees on the lawn honor former pupils, the largest dedicated to Horace Mann, born in Franklin in 1796. The school has served continuously as a school since its construction.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues that the building has been virtually unaltered since 1833 and has been in continuous use as a school ever since. Residents regard it as a symbol of Franklin's commitment to public education and of Horace Mann, who was born in the town. The community twice acted to keep it open, after a 1959 safety closure and a 1970 recommendation to phase it out.
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 76000276, listed January 1, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2 Lincoln St., Franklin |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | January 1, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000276 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1833 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Education |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Town of Franklin and occupied; still used for education, housing a kindergarten class at the time of listing. Structural repairs were made after the 1959 closure. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.09287, -71.39944 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 76000276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7303789
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.