Wheelockville District
Why it's listed
Wheelockville is a small mill village in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, laid out along Mendon and Henry Streets near the Waucantuck Mill. Its roughly 10 acres hold a well-preserved group of wood-frame cottages and houses, mostly late Federal and Greek Revival, built between about 1825 and 1885. Later Italianate and Victorian houses are scattered among them, though the village's architectural character was largely set before 1865. The area grew alongside the mill, first built by Luke Taft in 1825 and later run by the Wheelock family. The Wheelock brothers built their own houses on a ridge overlooking the mill and may have owned worker housing nearby. In the 1840s and 1850s the village also had two boot factories, one run by Joshua Garside and one by Joseph Keith, both closed by 1870. The district was recognized for keeping the scale and appearance of Uxbridge's early and mid-nineteenth-century mill villages, and for its link to the Waucantuck Mill.
Significance in brief: The district preserves the scale and appearance of early and mid-nineteenth-century mill villages in Uxbridge. Its growth is tied to the Waucantuck Mill and the Wheelock family, and it was briefly a local center of boot manufacturing. Its architecture is a well-preserved group of late Federal and Greek Revival cottages, with some later Italianate and Victorian examples.
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 84002923, listed January 20, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Mendon and Henry Sts., Uxbridge |
|---|---|
| County | Worcester County |
| Listed | January 20, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84002923 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | ca. 1825-ca. 1885 |
| Architectural style | Late Federal and Greek Revival, with some Italianate and other Victorian examples |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Some houses have been altered by siding, dormers or additions, and several buildings, including the Silas Wheelock House and the District #2 Schoolhouse, have been demolished. A few modern houses do not contribute to the district. |
| Acreage | 10 |
| Coordinates | 42.08186, -71.61058 (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 84002923.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7992342
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.