Old Douglas Center Historic District
Also known as: Douglas Center Historic District
The pin is a point inside the NPS boundary polygon, not a surveyed location.
Why it's listed
Douglas Center is the original village core of Douglas, Massachusetts, a 192-acre district spreading from the Town Common along Main, NW Main, SW Main, Webster and Church Streets. It holds 50 contributing resources: houses, a church, a school, a tavern, a cemetery, a monument and surrounding farmland. Development shifted to East Douglas in the mid-1800s with the railroad and mills, so the center kept its small-scale, rural character. Most buildings range from the late Federal period through the Greek Revival, with a few Craftsman and Colonial Revival examples from the early 20th century. Several finely detailed Federal houses are attributed to Paul Dudley, a local architect and builder who also owned the tavern on the stagecoach route. The Dudley-Amidon House of 1813 has an elaborate entrance and stenciled interior walls. Barns, sheds and a privy at several properties show the area's farming past, and the Dudley-Robbins-Parker farmland adds to that picture.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the original residential and institutional crossroads of Douglas, which lost its industrial development to East Douglas in the mid-1800s. It contains a notable group of Federal and Greek Revival houses, many attributed to local architect and builder Paul Dudley. Its farmland, barns and outbuildings also reflect the town's agricultural heritage.
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 01001186, listed October 28, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Church, Common, Main, NW Main, SW Main and Webster Sts., Douglas |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | October 28, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001186 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Paul Dudley (1758-1857), local architect and builder, to whom many Federal dwellings are attributed |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Colonial Revival, Craftsman/Bungalow |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most buildings are described as well preserved, though several have synthetic siding; the former tavern is now a single-family dwelling and the Chandler-Balcome barn has been converted to a store. |
| Acreage | 192 |
| Coordinates | 42.05748, -71.73961 (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 01001186.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7083870
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.