Charlestown Main Street Historic District

DESCRIPTION:

The Charlestown Main Street Historic District consists of the section of Main Street along which the town center of Charlestown developed and thrived beginning in the late 18th century. The district contains 62 primary structures with their associated outbuildings, streetscape objects, various memorials and monuments. Numerous roads intersect this section of Main Street, a State road (Route 12), which is laid out with a north/south orientation. Entering from the north are Sullivan, Summer, Perry, Elm, Olcott, and Paris Streets, while River, Church, Depot, and Railroad Streets extend south from Main Street. The north and south boundaries of the district are roughly defined by railroad dry bridges.

With the exception of the School (#33) and Olcott property buildings (#36) which rise from a low cleared hill at the southern part of the districts, most of the buildings are set on relatively flat lots. Standard highway style cobra head lights mounted either on aluminum poles or telephone poles dot the street, with crisscrossing electrical wires overhead. Concrete or asphalt sidewalks line most of the street. Conversion of structures for commercial use has eradicated both sidewalks and lawns in some areas, most notably in the northern part of the district, leaving several buildings on the east side islands surrounded by asphalt parking, with little or no separation or definition between these buildings and the street. The advent of the automobile resulted in angled parking spots in front of some commercial structures and service stations digesting several street corners. Sidewalks on the west side of Main Street are continuous and are set back approximately 15 feet from the roadway. Elm trees which once lined Main Street have all but disappeared, destroyed by Dutch Elm disease and the desire for additional parking on the east side of the street. In recent years, over forty trees have been planted along the length of Main Street to try to fill this void. They include lindens, flowering crabs, red oaks and gingkos. Buildings in the southern part of the district retain their residential nature and are set back from the road with more generous lawns and substantial trees. A series of 19th century fences survive at the front of properties on the west side of the street in this area. Granite hitching posts of two varieties can be seen throughout the district and include simple rectangular posts and a later style (c.1870) displaying chamfered corners and bulbous caps. Historic photographs indicate that simple carriage lights on posts once illuminated Charlestown's Main Street.

The streetscape of Charlestown's town center combines residential, civic, commercial, and religious structures with styles ranging from Federal and Greek Revival to the eclectic modes of the 19th century and the automobile-inspired of the twentieth. At least ten buildings in the district predate 1800 though in several cases early features have been obscured by later additions and alterations or as was common, construction of a more elaborate main house, using the original structure as an ell. Periods of heightened building activity include the decade following 1800 and the 1830's; eight buildings in the district date to each of these periods. Frame, stone and brick structures are all represented within the district. Only seven buildings in the district have been constructed since 1940. Beginning in the 1930s and '40s, a few Main Street structures were covered in synthetic sidings in the name of modernization, lending only a sense of disrepair to these structures today.

Recent years have witnessed further changes in the downtown, accompanied by growing awareness of Charlestown's historic resources. The addition to Silsby Library (#49) erected in 1977 respects and echoes the detailing of the original structure, including, repetition of rockfaced belt courses. The Town Hall (#21) is undergoing a longterm rehabilitation, of which a major portion was completed in 1981. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 1984. Several private rehabilitations have also occurred in recent years. New construction over the past decades includes the High School (#33), and the Post Office (#27) and Bank (#28), in 1967 all in a "Colonial" mode.

Descriptions begin at the northern end of the east side of Main Street, continue southward and then, crossing the street, proceed northward along the opposite (west) side of the street.

1. Johnson House, (east side of Main Street). 1752 and later, Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure with a low, broad gable front, measuring three bays wide. the subject of numerous additions over the years. The central entrance is marked by an enclosed porch with doublehung 2/2 windows framed by corner posts set above a low clapboarded wall supporting a vertical flushboard pediment. The five-panel door is surrounded by sidelights and transom lights with an outer paneled surround decorated by cornerblocks. Windows contain 2/2 doublehung sash flanked by blinds, a paired set of windows and a single unit on the north side. The asphalt gable roof is punctuated by a central shed dormer on each slope. Offset to the north east is a 1-1/2 story ell with a secondary entrance marked by a pedimented hood on brackets on its facade. A pedimented dormer above contains a pair of windows. Extending behind the ell and set at right angles is a single-story clapboarded addition with an entrance on the south side. The enclosed porch and dormers are twentieth century additions.

1A. Outbuilding, c. 1800, Contributing. Northeast of the house is a clapboarded outbuilding with a standing seam, metal gable roof and a sliding door. Its close eaves and doublehung 12/12 windows suggest a relatively early date of construction.

This property is significant locally as the site of the Johnson Cabin from which the family was taken captive by the Indians, August 30, 1754, and taken to Canada. Its history is so indicated by a stone marker with bronze tablet erected by the D.A.R. in 1927. The present house was reportedly built around the original log cabin. The original Johnson cabin door, complete with what is reportedly an Indian's hatchet mark, was given by the D.A.R. to the Fort 4 Associates and is on exhibit at Fort #4. Also worthy of note is an early brickyard which was once located north of this house and furnished the brick for many of the buildings along Main Street.

2. House, (east side of Main Street), 1809 and earlier. Attributed to Stephen Hassam, master builder,(1) Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure measuring five bays wide and two bays deep, resting on a concrete faced foundation. Like many Federal style structures, this building has few elaborations other than its accentuated front door. Centered on the facade is a six-panel door flanked by pilasters which support an elliptical fanlight divided into six segments and decorated by delicate swags. The fanlight is set into the frieze of a full entablature and is flanked by raised blocks. The cornice of the doorway, like the projecting cornice which encircles the building, is decorated by acorn-like elements. The doublehung 6/6 windows feature thin mullions and molded surrounds flanked by blinds. Doublehung 8/8 windows survive in the attic pediment ends. The roof is sheathed in asphalt. Spanning both slopes of the 1 story clapboarded ell are continuous shed dormers lit by small 8/8 windows, as is the first floor. A secondary entrance is located on the south side of the ell marked by a gable hood supported by plain posts. An open breezeway spans from the rear of the ell to a single-story barn/garage with openings on the south and fixed 4 x 3 light windows.

The ell on this building appears to be a very early structure, contemporary with, if not earlier than the Johnson house to the north. This house was the property of Stephen Hassam prior to 1809. In that year it was sold to Samuel Farrington, a cabinet maker, who apparently added the front section.(2) The first meeting of the Congregational Church took place in this house in 1835.(3)

3. House, (east side of Main Street), 1814 and earlier, Contributing.
A two-story frame structure set broadside to the street, sheathed in wide aluminum siding above a concrete faced foundation and capped by a low gable roof with pediment ends. Centered on the five-bay facade is a horizontally paneled door flanked by pilaster strips with raised fluting and top and bottom horizontal bands. The pilasters support a flushboard pediment. Doublehung 2/2 windows are flanked by blinds. Any lintels which once existed have been obscured or removed by siding. The south side elevation, originally two bays wide, has received an additional glass and paneled door. The north side is a single bay wide. Two interior brick corbel cap chimneys punctuate the asphalt roof. Centered on the rear elevation is a 2-1/2 story ell with a ridge line higher than the main building in front. Windows also contain 2/2 sash. A two-story porch, screened upstairs, spans the rear elevation. Offset to the northeast is a barn sheathed in barnboard over clapboards with an attached clapboard barn.

According to local history, the ell of this house was probably built in the late 1700s. Prior to 1814 it was the property of Ephraim Carpenter who sold the property that year to Joseph Shepley, who in turn added the front section and operated it as a tavern or public house. The building served as the Congregational Parsonage from 1881 to 1912.(4)

4. Commercial building, (east side of Main Street), 1948, Non-Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story gable fronted structure consisting of a concrete block first floor with wide clapboards above. The first floor contains two large plate glass windows, two entrances and an internally lit plastic sign. Upstairs the unevenly spaced three window openings contain modern doublehung windows with two horizontal panes in each sash, flanked by modern blinds. At the rear a single-story concrete block wing connects the main building and a rear addition set at right angles with a single garage opening on the west side

This structure was built in 1948 by A. R. Stevens as a combination welding shop with apartment on the second floor.(5)

5. Former North Primary School, (east side of Main Street), 1772, Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story structure measuring three bays wide and three bays deep situated with its entryless, pedimented end to the street. The building is constructed of an orange brick laid in a bond alternating seven rows of stretchers to a single row of headers. First-floor windows contain doublehung 6/6 sash flanked by blinds and are capped by painted stone splayed lintels. Those in the clapboarded pediment contain a smaller 6/6 sash with plain wooden lintels. According to historic photographs the building originally had doublehung 12/12 windows. The main entry is located in the rearmost bay on the south side and contains a glass and paneled door capped by a splayed lintel. A single offcenter corbel cap chimney projects from the slate roof. A projecting boxed cornice surrounds the building, elaborated by a curved molding with repeating incised lines.

Offset at the rear is a clapboarded wing (1896) with modern fenestration, ending in a single garage opening on the south side.

This building was originally constructed to house the North Primary School, District #3, in 1772. It operated for this purpose until 1894 when it was sold at public auction to Dr. Whitaker for $125. who converted it into a dwelling, adding part of the present ell and putting on a slate roof. Mrs. Clara Comstock bought the property in 1896, completing the ell and adding, a piazza (now removed).(6) The interior arrangement of rooms and the exterior porchline are c.1975 alterations by architect Livingston Elder for the present owner. 

6. Congregational Church, (east side of Main Street), 1839, Contributing.
A single-story clapboarded church resting above a combination concrete/concrete block foundation. Side elevations measure three bays wide, while the pedimented facade is fronted by a shorter pedimented facade is fronted by a shorter pedimented pavilion flanked by a single window opening on each side. Centered on the pavilion is a tripart window consisting of a doublehung 8/8 window with a 4/4 window to each side and a louvered pointed arch atop the central window. Pointed arch blinds are centered in the vertical flushboard pediment above. To each side of the pavilion is a stained glass window capped by pointed arch blinds. Larger versions are located on the side elevations, capped by a pointed arch overlay showing the clapboards in a triangular shape underneath. Entry is gained through recessed entrances on the north and south sides of the pavilion; each is fronted by concrete steps with wrought iron railings. The glass doors have a recessed panel molding surround with cornerblocks. The front entrance was remodelled in 1974 by architect, Livingston Elder.

Recessed slightly from the front of the slate roof ridge is a clapboarded three-stage tower, square in plan, which diminishes in size as it rises in height. The clapboarded first stage is without openings and capped by a projecting boxed cornice, echoed on those stages above. Centered on each side of the second and third stages is a set of louvered, pointed arch blinds. Pointed pinnacles crown the corners of the uppermost stage. Simple cornerboards mark the building corners supporting a projecting boxed cornice with plain frieze. Shallow returns decorate the rear of the church.

Extending behind is a two-story wing vestry addition lit by paired 6/6 windows Abutting the ell and set at right angles is a two-story structure capped by a saltbox roof with close eaves. A single-story addition spans the front of the north part of this building with double doors and a low pediment over the entrance.

This church was constructed in 1839 with initial alterations in 1864 including the removal of the pew doors, the narrowing of the vestibule and relocation of the choir in a low gallery between the doors. The rearmost structure, set at right angles to the church, functioning historically as the Ladies' Hall (Dining Hall), was secured in 1870. It originally served as a carriage paint shop with a ramp at the north end giving access from a street now closed. Additional interior improvements were made in 1874 and 1903. The original vestry was constructed in 1876. It subsequently burned and was rebuilt as described above.(7) Erected originally as the Evengelical Congregational Church, the parish is now know as the United Church of Christ Congregational Church.

7. Congregational Parsonage, (28 Main Street), 1912. Edward Dudley, builder.(8) Contributing.
A 2-l/2 story frame and clapboard structure typical of the American Four Square house form. Set above a brick foundation, the three-bay facade is spanned by a hip roofed, single-story porch with wooden deck and latticed airspace. The porch is supported by Roman Doric columns between which is a stick balustrade. A vertical beadboard pediment rises from the center of the porch roof. The central entrance contains a wood and glass door capped by a simple entablature. To each side of the entrance is a joined pair of 1/1 windows. Individual 1/1 windows with entablature lintels and blinds predominate elsewhere on the building. Plain corner boards and a plain frieze under projecting eaves mark the corners of the building. The high hipped roof is sheathed in asphalt shingles with a hip dormer centered on the front slope. A small brick chimney emerges from the rear slope. Partially spanning the rear elevation is a shed roofed porch supported by turned posts.

7A. Garage, c. 1920, Contributing. Northeast of the house is a 1-1/2 story clapboarded garage with two sets of vertical board doors on its gable front.

8. Gas Station, (southeast corner Main and Sullivan Streets), c.1960, Non-Contributing.
A single-story service station constructed of imitation textured stone with a modern "mansard-like" wood shingle roof. The station consists of two garage bays with an office and displays a high proportion of glass. A two story frame structure previously on the site was demolished in 1932 to make way for a filling station.(9)

9. Milliken House, (east side of Main Street), c. 1831.(10) Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story asbestos covered structure set gable end to the street above a high, coursed, mortared fieldstone foundation. A gabled vestibule marks the central entrance. Measuring two bays wide and five deep, windows are predominantly 2/2 with simple surrounds and blinds. Two 9/6 windows survive in the attic. A single gable dormer is located on each side of the roof. A shed porch spans the south side of the building, fronted by concrete stairs above a lattice airspace and supported by attenuated chamfered posts on block bases. Offset to the northeast is a single-story wing connecting the main house to a clapboarded barn with sliding doors on the south side.

Although this early residence, like many on Main Street, has been altered over the years to accommodate commercial/apartment uses and is currently compromised by asbestos shingles, it does retain much of its original character and exterior detail and should be considered a contributing structure within the district. Constructed by local wheelwright Adam Milliken about 1831.

10. Charlestown Inn, (east side of Main Street), 1817 and 1880's. Contributing.
A 3-1/2 story gable fronted structure sheathed in asbestos shingles with a facade measuring three bays across. Cornice returns decorate the front; corner pilasters appear to have been covered or removed. The first-story recessed porch has been partially enclosed to the north with continuous full length 12/12 windows. Beneath the porch roof are five openings including a central entrance featuring a large glass window. Above the wooden deck chamfered posts are set on bases with recessed panels spanned by jigsaw balusters and capped by curved wooden brackets with incised circles. A shed addition is at the rear of the south side while a flat roofed section connects the main building to a long single-story clapboarded garage with sliding doors on the south side. A large wooden sign above the first floor reads "Charlestown Inn." To the left is an interior-lit plastic sign above which is a c. 1930 lit circular clock.

Originally a simple cottage, the core of this structure was constructed in 1817 by Elihu Dickinson for his daughter and son-in-law, Dr. John Batchelder. In the 1880s it was known as the Star Hotel and received an extensive addition for this purpose. It was renamed "Elm House" in 1888 and served as a hotel under various names until 1941, at which time it was converted to apartments.(11)

11. Briggs House, (east side of Main Street), 1835 with later additions, Contributing.
A two-story clapboarded structure set with its three-bay wide gable end to the street and side elevations measuring five bays wide. Encircling the west and south sides is a single-story (c. 1870) porch supported by chamfered posts on bases which are capped by scroll brackets above a latticed airspace. Plain cornerboards mark the ends of the structure ending in cornice returns with eaves flush with the end walls. The sidehall entrance contains a raised six-panel door flanked by pilasters topped by brackets with a simple recessed frame adorned by cornerblocks. An additional entrance is located underneath the porch on the south side and contains a paneled turn-of-the-century door with large glass upper pane. With the exception of a single 12/12 window (probably indicative of the original sash configuration), windows are 2/2 doublehung with exterior storm windows and blinds. A single-story shed is located at the rear of the north side of the main house. Extending behind is a two-story wing and a shed addition on the south side, behind which is an attached single-story clapboarded gable-roofed shed, converted to function as a three-car garage.

Built by cabinetmaker Joseph Briggs in 1835,(12) this simple structure exhibiting Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate styles has seen few changes over the years except for a new window sash configuration.

12. Young's Diner, (48 Main Street), c.1930-40, Non-Contributing.
Lying beneath this single-story stone facade capped by a wood shingled hip roof is a Worcester Diner which originally featured a railroad style monitor roof still visible from the interior. Inside, detailing is basically intact with tile floors and sidewalls and marble counters. The diner also retains its iron wheels and rubber tread. A single-story frame addition (c. 1973) connects the diner to a two-story house sheathed in asbestos shingles and capped by a standing seam metal hip roof. An octagonal two-story tower with flared polygonal cap roof marks the southwest corner of the square plan. Windows are l/l doublehung. A gable wing extends behind.

The house at the rear was built by Richard Robertson in 1887. The diner was moved to this site by Guy Young in 1946 and was later enlarged to accommodate a bus terminal. At the rear of the main house, the stable was converted into a dwelling in 1942.(13)

The integrity of both the Worcester diner and the late 19th century structure at the rear are currently compromised by the application of artificial sidings, obscuring a classic example of the diner and a fine example of the Queen Anne style. In view of its current state, this structure should be considered noncontributing to the character and integrity of the district.

13. Stebbins House, (56 Main Street), 1856 and earlier, Contributing.
A two-story house sheathed in asbestos shingles and set with its pediment end facing the street above a granite block foundation. Ends are two bays wide and side elevations are three, with the main entrance centered on the south side marked by a low pediment, three-bay porch supported by Roman Doric columns with simple stick balusters. Like the single-story, flat roofed porch spanning the west side, also with Roman Doric columns, the front porch was apparently added c. 1900. Beneath the entrance porch the front door is framed by transoms and sidelights, and features a pair of long octagonal panes over smaller wooden panels. Window openings contain paired, thin doublehung 4/4 sash, which together are no wider than a regular window. At the rear is a 1 story wing with a gable doorhood with arched opening centered on the south side.

The 1-1/2 story ell appears to predate the front section of this house. J. C. Stebbins, who operated a boot and shoe business and was a popular auctioneer, moved a small cottage on the front of the lot back to this knoll (now the ell), and added the front section in 1856. (14)

13A. Barn, c. 1900, Contributing. Northeast of the house is a clapboarded barn (24' x 30') with a sliding door on the south side and a perpendicular smaller shed attached at the rear.

14. Bond House, (62 Main Street), 1887 and earlier. Contributing.
A two-story structure capped by a standing seam metal hip roof sheathed in clapboards on the first floor with wood shingles above, the basic rectangular plan enhanced by a polygonal three-story tower at the southwest corner, sheathed in fish scale shingles and capped by an ogee roof. Located at the northeast corner is a three-sided second-story bay window surmounted by a clapboarded pediment with central medallion. A three-bay single-story porch spans the facade supported by paired Doric columns on clapboard pedestals joined by attenuated spindles with paired circular medallions above the columns. Centered on the south side is the main entrance marked by a flat roofed porch supported by two single Doric columns. Behind the porch is a single-story rectangular bay. There are four doublehung 2/2 windows beneath the porch roof with 1/1 predominating elsewhere. Extending behind are several single-story attached sheds.

According to local history, this building apparently includes a 1-1/2 story cottage owned by Deacon Obediah Wells possibly constructed as early as 1792. In 1887 the property was bought by George Bond who was responsible for extensive alterations and the building's present appearance. (15)

14A. Carriage Barn, c. 1887, Contributing. A single-story clapboarded barn/garage (c.1887) measuring 30ı x 38' with a hip roof capped by a square ventilator is located behind the main house.

15. Gas Station, (east side of Main Street), c.1928, Non-Contributing.
Set at an oblique angle to the other structures along Main Street this single-story flat roofed service station is constructed of enameled metal panels. The station front consists of two garage bays with an office which is accented by a cantilever above its plate glass windows. The garage doors are constructed of glass panes set in a minimal metal frame. An additional garage opening is on the south side. A smaller concrete block section is at the rear.

In 1928 Bartlett Maxim built the store to the south and a filling station.(16) The present service station may actually have been constructed somewhat later.

16. Maxim Meat Market, (66 Main Street), 1928, Non-Contributing.
A single-story cottage sheathed in wood shingles capped by a low gable roof with a shed addition at the south. The offcenter entrance is marked by a pediment doorhood set on plain brackets sheltering a paneled door with large glass pane. Adjacent to it on the facade is a large single-pane picture window. Attached behind is a shed addition with 2/2 windows like that in front.

Built by Bartlett Maxim in 1928.

17. Former Methodist Meetinghouse, (68 Main Street), 1836. Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story pediment fronted building sheathed in wide particle board clapboards above a foundation faced in concrete. Wide paneled corner pilasters with cornerblocks mark the ends of the building beneath projecting eaves. Facade fenestration features five openings on the first floor, six on the second and two on the third. Fronted by cement steps with wrought iron railings, the central entrance contains a six-panel door flanked by half sidelights and capped by a peaked lintel. Windows are primarily 6/6 doublehung with simple surrounds. Attic windows are 2/2 above which is a louvered pointed arch opening. Side elevations have uneven fenestration. A single shed dormer is located on the north roof slope. A gable doorhood supported by wrought iron columns is located at the rear of the south side. Cornice returns decorate the rear elevation which is sheathed in wood clapboards. Offset to the northeast is a plywood addition on a concrete foundation with an exterior staircase and open carport.

Although the integrity of this structure, aesthetically and possibly structurally, is compromised by the application of cardboard-like siding, it retains significance for its former use as the Methodist Meetinghouse and for its unique blend of simple Greek Revival and Gothic details. The building was originally built in 1836 on the west side of Main Street and moved to this site in 1856 after the Methodists disbanded.(17) lt is currently used as an apartment house.

18. Former Charlestown Firehouse, (east side of Main Street) 1910. (18) Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story clapboarded, gable fronted building with a large shed addition to the north. A wide garage door fills the first story of the gable front with a set of three 2/2 windows centered above, capped by lip lintels. Plain cornerboards support a wide frieze with cornice returns decorating the ends. A doorway with horizontal bottom panels and a large pane of glass above is located between the garage door and a large single-pane window and large garage door occupying the facade of the shed addition. An additional door, similar to that described, is located on the south side. Shed addition is set on a cement block foundation.

Built with a 60-foot tower for drying hose which was recently removed. Since the construction of a new fire house (north of building #1) in 1974, this building has housed the Charlestown Water and Sewer Departments.

19. Willard Store, (72 Main Street), 1806, Contributing.
A two-story gable fronted structure built of brick laid in a bond alternating five rows of stretchers to a row of headers above a granite foundation. Spanning the first story of the three-bay facade is a wooden canopy supported by large ornate curved brackets with inscribed triangles. The central entrance contains a wooden door with a large glass pane with two horizontal panels below. Located on either side is a large single-pane window, each capped by a paneled lintel. Concrete steps front the doorway. The brick pilasters visible on the first floor give rise to recessed arches on the second featuring keystones with the outline of the arch painted white. Windows on the second floor contain doublehung 2/2 sash with simple surrounds. Several of the blinds have been removed. Cornice returns decorate the gable end with a louvered semicircular opening in the attic. A hanging neon sign advertises "Rick's Electrical." Suspended on the second story of the north side is a boarded door opening. At the rear is a gable roofed clapboard addition (c. 1900) above a brick foundation with a shed entrance on the north side. Behind it a second-story screened porch cantilevers over an open storage area.

This structure was built as a store by Roswell Willard in 1806, with bricks made in the brickyard north of the Johnson House (#1).(19)

20. Building, (74 Main Street), c. 1830, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story gable fronted clapboarded structure set upon a loose granite block foundation measuring three bays across and five bays deep. Concrete steps from the central entrance containing a "Colonial" style door with half sidelights and flanked by two pairs of doublehung 8/8 windows. The upper story contains three 6/6 with simple surround and blinds with a single 2/2 in the attic. Simple cornerboards support a pedimented front with brackets adorning the eaves and pediment. A gable doorhood is located at the-rear of the south side. A mixture of 8/8 and 12/12 windows light the rear elevation which is marked by the ghost of a rear wing which has been removed. The eaves of the rear elevation cling closely to the wall.

Visual inspection suggests a c. 1830 construction date for this building which was moved to the east side of the street from a site just south of the Eagle Hotel (see #52) just prior to the 1842 fire which destroyed numerous buildings on the west side of Main Street.(20)

21. Charlestown Town Hall, (Summer Street), 1872-1873. Edward Dow, Architect, Contributing.
A two-story brick structure standing in a small square set back from and east of Main Street with one of its gable ends, facing south, treated as the facade. The building measures three bays by six bays, defined by rusticated brick pilasters which rise from the loose granite block foundation to the bracketed cornice and pediments. A belt course of corbelled brick separates the two stories. The first story of the facade is pierced by three openings, of which two are doorways and the third is a window. Both doorways are fronted by granite steps and have two-leaf doors with flat panels at the bottom and tall panes of glass above, capped by two-light transoms. All of the openings in the structure are spanned by segmental brick arches with keystones, supported by corbelled brick impost blocks. Window openings are filled with two arched 6/4 sashes separated by a wooden mullion. Second-story windows are taller but identical in detail to those on the first floor with 6/6 sash. The entablature which encircles the entire structure has a corbelled brick architrave and frieze with a wooden cornice supported by console brackets. Centered in the facade pediment is a recessed triangular panel filled with brick and bearing a granite tablet with "1872" carved in relief. The rear pediment is pierced by a bull's-eye window which lights the attic of the structure. A doorhood of corrugated steel supported by steel pipes is located on the west side.

On the interior the first floor is comprised of two areas, the Town Hall (more recently used as a courtroom) and the stairhall. The southwest room on the first floor was originally the grocery store of Simon Cooley, provided in exchange for some of Cooley's land taken for a site for the Town Hall. The room was used as a Selectmen's Office through much of the 20th century. The Police Department was also located here. The Town Hall features a pressed metal ceiling and a semielliptical niche behind the bench. The second-floor hall, seating approximately 400 people, has a stage at the north end with a proscenium arch added in 1934.

Renovation of the building occurred in 1981. Window frames were removed, repaired and reinstalled with plexiglass. The front door, steps and roof were replaced, an interior fire escape was installed and the exterior steel fire escape was removed

This structure was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 15, 1984.(21)

22. Former Connecticut River Bank, (5 Summer Street), 1824. Stephen Hassam, master builder.(22) Contributing.
Opposite the Town Hall is this single-story gable fronted building constructed of stretcher bond brick, its three-bay facade and four-bay side elevations defined by recessed brick arches. It is set above a loose granite block foundation. The offcenter sidehall entrance contains a six-panel door (three across) recessed behind a paneled embrasure and capped by a louvered fan decorated by a rope molding. Granite steps with an iron rail and bootscraper front the doorway. Centered in the flushboard front pediment is a raised triangular panel. An elaborate cornice featuring mutules with drilled holes, a rope molding and tassels encircles the building. Windows are 6/6 doublehung with stone sills, flat brick arch lintels and blinds, those at the rear of the building have closed shutters. An important reminder of the building's banking heritage is the alarm box supported by brackets on the facade.

Attached to the rear of the building is a modern vertical flushboard garage addition with a mansard-like roof.

Erected in 1824 at a cost of $2,400, this was the scene of a famous local bank robbery on June 10, 1850. Operated under a variety of names over the years including Connecticut River Bank, Connecticut River National Bank, and Connecticut River Savings Bank.(23) The building retains its central walk-in bank vault.

23. Building, (east side of Main Street), c. 1796 and c. 1870, Non-Contributing.
A single-story structure with attic formed by a hip on mansard roof. The profile of the roof is altered by a two-story shed addition which cantilevers from the south roof. A porch is recessed at the southwest corner. The building is sheathed in aluminum siding although some tongue and groove boards below are exposed. Marking the offcenter entrance is a gable entrance porch supported by wrought iron posts above a low flight of concrete steps. Like the picture window and sliding windows flanking the entrance, the multilight front door is a modern addition. The only original window frames appear to be those in the low pedimented dormers containing 1/1 windows with exterior storms. Three are located in front with five spanning the north side of the rear addition. At the rear is a two-story ell with a gable-on-mansard roof with a cantilever supported by plain posts at the rear. Projecting from the north side of the addition is a gable shed sheathed in vertical boards.

Originally built by Judge Sumner about 1796, later known as the Stebbins Block and Lodge Block, with extensive alterations c. 1870.(24) Once a unique example of the French Second Empire style along Main Street, the integrity of this structure has been seriously compromised by artificial sidings, additions and window replacement rendering it noncontributing to the district.

24. Dean Store, (82 Main Street), 1787 and later, Non-Contributing.
A two-story frame structure capped by a combination hip-gable roof set above a stone foundation and greatly altered and remodeled over the years. Part of this structure is said to incorporate a building erected by Aaron Dean in 1787 for commercial purposes. Formerly four bays across with a single-story porch spanning the facade supported by attenuated posts; today a wood shingled hip roof extends from the edge of the gable roof obscuring original second-floor openings and supported by large posts. Plate glass storefronts have replaced the original alternating multipane windows and door openings. The second story of the facade is sheathed in wood shingles; the remainder is covered in vertical metal standing seam siding obscuring clapboarding. Extending behind is a single-story modern extension, the full width of the building, tripling the area of the original.

Originally there were three stores on the street floor of this building. Although some historic material may survive underneath the siding, including perhaps part of the original store erected by Aaron Dean in 1787, this building should be considered noncontributing within the district due to extensive alterations.(25)

25. Nourse's Pharmacy, (84 Main Street), 1924, Contributing.
A single-story gable roofed structure sheathed in clapboards. The stucco covered pediment front features a brightly painted central wreath containing a mortar and pestle with a cornucopia on each side brimming with fruit. The storefront features a recessed central entrance with vertical panels below the plate glass windows and prism glass transoms. Metal columnettes mark the corners of the storefront with fluted pilasters at the ends of the building. An awning spans the front partially obscuring a cornice alternating circles and pharmaceutical glassware motifs. A leaded fanlight is located over the front door. Encircling the building is a boxed cornice. Most windows on the side elevations have been covered over; a single 6/6 survives. A small frame shed spans the rear addition.

Constructed in 1924 by George Nourse as a pharmacy (26) (a function it continues to serve more than 60 years later), this small structure is a unique interpretation of the Classical Revival style combining classical forms and details in a decidedly 20th century, whimsical fashion.

26. Bowen Garage Company, (Main Street and Perry Street), 1921, Contributing.
A two-story building constructed of brick laid in a bond alternating six rows of stretchers to a row of headers and stretchers. The facade measures five bays across, the center three openings are grouped together, accentuated by a stepped parapet. Underneath the concrete cap is a row of brick, concrete cornice and a row of header bricks on edge. Large glass storefronts light the first floor featuring a large glass flanked by two vertical strips; with small panes at the top. Concrete cornerblocks and stretcher brick surround the windows. The central entrance is capped by two recessed lights. The second floor has paired 6/1 windows with concrete sills supported by two brackets. A gable hood supported by turned brackets marks an entrance at the rear of the south side. At the rear is a two-story wing, originally a single-story, flat roofed, now with an upper story (c. 1975) sheathed in T-111 siding and capped by a low gable roof. First-floor windows are 12/12 with concrete surrounds and brick surrounds like the main building. Upper-story windows are paired 1/1.

Constructed in 1921, this brick commercial block originally housed a garage, with an automobile display room once occupying the first floor with its large storefront windows. The longest tenant was Keil Lock, manufacturer of locks and keys.(27)

North of the garage is a single story flat roofed addition constructed c.1968 and housing the Charlestown Mill Store which is marked by an internally lit plastic sign hung from the building facade. The brick is laid in a stretcher bond. Concrete steps with wrought iron railings front the "Colonial² door. Windows contain 1/1 doublehung sash. Occupying this site until 1968 when it was destroyed by fire, was a house constructed by Aaron Dean in 1788, later known as the "Mansion House" with towers and piazzas added over the years.(28)

27. U.S. Post Office, (Main Street and Perry Street), 1967, Non-Contributing.
A singIe-story "Colonial"-inspired structure constructed of brick laid in a common bond above a concrete foundation. The gable roof is sheathed in asphalt shingles with a front pediment constructed of vertical boards, its north half supported by a brick wall. The southern half is devoted to a recessed entrance framed by fluted posts with two pairs of 6/6 windows underneath. Contained in the pediment is a round window with a grid of mullions. Remaining windows are 6/6. The square ventilator with louvered openings is capped by a flared pyramidal metal roof with a gilt quill pen weathervane A loading dock extends at the rear.

Its recent date of construction renders this structure noncontributing within the district. Site of first meeting house 1753-1763 and later a house long known as the "Lambs Club" constructed in 1790.(29)

28. Connecticut River Bank, (east side of Main Street), 1967, Non-Contributing.
A singIe-story gable roofed, modern structure constructed of brick laid in a common bond above a concrete foundation. Centered on the facade is a pedimented, enclosed glass entrance porch articulated by a frieze and pilasters with entry through modern glass doors capped by transoms. On each side of the entrance is a large multilight picture window. Remaining windows are 6/6 capped by flat. arch brick lintels. A simple molded cornice encircles the building; the pediment ends are clapboarded. A drive up window projects from the south side. A flat roofed addition triples the building area at the rear.

Noncontributing within the district because of its recent date of construction.

28A. Garage, c. 1980, Non-Contributing. Southeast of the bank is a small gable-front modern garage constructed of T-111 siding with two individual openings.

29. Former South Parish Parsonage,(106 Main Street), 1857. Brooks Kimball. builder, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story gable fronted clapboarded structure three bays wide and two bays deep with an almost square plan. A single-story flat roofed porch spans the facade supported by open slotted posts above a wooden deck. The central entrance is framed by sidelights and transoms and flanked by an elongated floor-length window on each side. Simple wide cornerboards and a baseboard outline the structure. The projecting eaves are adorned by paired curvilinear brackets as is the front porch. Windows on the structure feature pairs of 4/4 windows within a single window width. They are capped by entablature lintels and framed by blinds. Extending behind is a 1-1/2 story shed/garage wing with a single-story shed spanning the rear elevation.

Construction of this building for a parsonage was made possible by the Ladies' Sewing Society of the South Parish Church in 1857 at a cost of $2,317. It remained as such until 1884 and is now a single-family residence.(30)

30. Willard House, (southeast corner Main and Elm Streets), c. 1770-1790, Contributing.
A clapboarded 2-1/2 story structure situated above a stone block foundation and set broadside to the street. It is capped by a low pitch gable roof with eaves flush with the sidewalls. The paired central entrances feature individual door frames with recessed panels, cornerblocks and peaked lintels. Each contains a six-panel door framed by full sidelights. These doorways were added c.1839 when the structure was converted to a two-family house. Windows contain primarily doublehung 2/2 sash (not original) with lip lintels and blinds. Centered on each of the side elevations is a panel door with a plain surround and lip lintel. A blind window is located above. Extending behind is a single-story ell, a recent addition, (c. 1980) containing two garage openings and a recessed entrance in the northeast corner.

This house is on the original grant of Lieutenant Moses Willard who came to Charlestown in 1742. It is not clear whether the house dates to the earliest period of settlement, or whether this house was preceded by an earlier house.31 This house is one of the earliest structures in the town center, its age indicated by the gentle slope of the gable roof and lack of projecting eaves. Over the years it has housed a tavern, store, storage place for wool, and residence and was converted to a two-family house c. 1839. Today it houses offices and apartments upstairs.

31. Thompson House, (116 Main Street), c. 1872, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded structure set broadside to the street above a brick foundation, measuring three bays wide and two deep. A single-story porch supported by posts on pedestals with raised panels spans the facade with a bracketed cornice. The low balustrade features turned pieces with incised detailing. The central entrance contains double doors. The facade is dominated by a central wall dormer, while the side elevations feature pediment ends. Simple cornerboards, a plain frieze and boxed cornice outline the structure. Windows are 1/1 doublehung with blinds and capped by plain wooden lintels. Those on the first-floor side elevations feature peaked lintels with arched doublehung 1/1 window, with similar windows in the pedimented ends. Extending behind is a two-story ell behind which is a smaller two story wing with a porch spanning the first floor and two jerkinheaded bay projections above, decorated by ornate bracketwork.

Built by Edward Thompson probably soon after a small house previously on the-site was moved in 1872. Bought by the Catholic Church for a Rectory in 1916, a purpose it continues to serve.(32)

32. St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Church, (118 Main Street), 1880, Contributing.

A clapboarded stick style church decorated by a pattern of horizontal, vertical and diagonal stickwork and set above a foundation of rusticated concrete blocks. The church consists of a nave with a steeply pitched gable front, rear transepts and two-stage tower offset at the southwest corner. Centered on the facade is a gable roofed entrance porch supported by turned posts, with stick balusters above a lattice airspace and fronted by a set of stairs. The porch is decorated by a cross collar brace and is topped by a cross. Sheltered underneath are double doors within a pointed four-sided frame. To each side is a smaller window with similar outline filled with diamond panes. Above the entrance is a circular stained glass window framed by the projecting eaves of the gable front with boxed cornice, culminating in a collar tie beam. Side elevations measure five bays and are defined by buttresses consisting of wooden posts with weatherings set on concrete block piers extending from the foundation. Each contains a single window with peaked rectangular shape similar to those in front.

The two-stage square tower consists of a two-story clapboarded base capped by a truncated hip slate roof with hexagonal shingles, below which is a bracketed cornice. Set above the hip roof the square upper stage features a pair of peaked rectangular openings on each set filled with louvers with scallop edges. A peaked molding surrounds the pair with an inset of incised ornament inset at the top. This stage is sheathed in vertical flushboards and each side features a cross gable with collar brace at the bottom edge of the pyramidal spire crowned by a cross. A clapboarded single-story section extends from the rear of both sides with a gable doorhood set on brackets. A small gable shed is located on the north side. Double lancet windows and a collar brace decorate the rear elevation which is clapboarded above a vertical board base.

Constructed in 1880 this church originally stood on a lot donated by Sherman Paris on the hill east of his residence (see #36). The structure was moved to its present site in 1915 at which time the interior was redecorated and electric lights and steam heat were installed. Noteworthy on the interior are four Tiffany windows donated by Mr. Paris.(33)

32A. Carriage House, c.1875, Contributing. Northeast of and behind the church is this fanciful 1-1/2 story clapboarded carriage house, set with its narrow end to the street. Set into a hill, the building's brick foundation is exposed on the western side. The building is capped by a long flat roof with smaller sloping sides on each end. The wide, central open doorway is capped by a gambrel-shaped door hood supported by large. heavy knee braces worked on a mechanical lathe with octagonal cutouts and geometric detailing influenced by the "Eastlake" style The front of the gambrel is decorated by a collar brace filled with crisscrossing. To each side of this large opening is a smaller sliding door with two vertical rectangular upper windows above recessed panels filled with diagonal beadboard. Flanking each sliding door is a doublehung 1/l window with a shed hood supported by smaller heavy brackets with Eastlake ornament. On the second floor, above each sliding door, there is a diagonal braced door capped by a similar shed hood. A triangular-shaped window with latticed panes is located above each hood. Above the central entrance are two individual doublehung windows capped by steeply pitched gable hoods, decorated by collar braces and supported by massive brackets. Windows on the side elevations contain l/1 sash with shed hoods. Simple cornerboards outline the building, supporting a projecting bracketed cornice.

33. Charlestown High School, (Main Street and Olcott Lane), 1950, Non-Contributing.
A two-story Georgian-inspired brick structure set back from Main Street's 19th century residences atop a low hill. The building is capped by a hip roof and measures 13 bays across, the three central openings forming a projecting pavilion capped by a flushboard pediment reading "Charlestown School." Brick is laid in a bond consisting of five rows of stretchers to one row alternating headers and stretchers. The central entrance contains two double doors with multilight upper sections above lower panels and capped by multiple rows of transom lights. The doors are framed by fluted pilasters set against rusticated wooden blocks. Above a peaked lintel is a flushboard pediment. Windows in the central pavilion are 18/18 while remaining windows are 15/15, all with flat arch gauged brick lintels and concrete sills. Basement windows are 5/5. A boxed cornice surrounds the building. Centered on the roof ridge is a cupola with a square flushboard base pierced by louvered rectangular vents capped by a copper cushion roof crowned by a ball. Extending at the rear is a single-story ell.

This school was preceded on the site by a two story frame house with a mansard roof built by Edward Thompson c.1852. After the house was destroyed by fire c.1892 the lot remained vacant until 1950‹1 when it was purchased by the town and the new high school Was built.(34) This former high school now functions as an elementary school. Owing to its recent date of construction, this building is judged to be noncontributing to the district.

34. West House, (southeast corner Main Street and Olcott Lane), 1784 with later alterations, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure set back from the street by a deep lawn and resting above a stone block foundation. The pedimented facade measures five bays wide and is spanned by a single story flat roofed porch. The columns are spanned by a stick balustrade, a low pediment rising from the porch roof marks the location of the central entrance. The front door is flanked by full sidelights. All of the windows on the building contain doublehung 6/6 sash and are flanked by blinds, topped by shelf lintels and covered by hinged 6/6 light storm windows. Those on the first floor are elongated. Above the entrance is a tripart window consisting of a 6/6 window flanked by two smaller 6/6 windows and lacking the blinds of the other windows. Centered in the flushboard pediment is a 6/6 window flanked by sidelights fitted with blinds. Simple cornerboards give rise to a boxed cornice with two part frieze, ending in returns on the rear elevation. Four brick chimneys punctuate the copper standing seam metal roof. A single story glassed porch projects from the south side of the house. The long two story ell is capped by a slate roof with an exterior chimney at the rear of the building. Windows on the ell also contain 6/6 sash. A shed entrance porch projects from the north side while a rear porch is sheltered by a broken pediment supported by plain posts.

34A. Stable, c. 1890, Contributing. Northeast of the house is a large two story clapboarded structure resting above a brick foundation with its long elevation facing Olcott Lane. Originally a stable it was later converted to apartments. Two garage doors open to the west. The asphalt roof has projecting eaves and is capped by a two stage square ventilator. It is lit by a 6/6 window on each side and capped by a pyramidal roof with weathervane. A small ell extends southward from the eastern side with a shed dormer spanning the east side of its slate roof.

34B. Gazebo, c. 1890, Contributing. Southeast of the house is an open octagonal gazebo capped by a red metal segmental roof. Its turned posts feature cutout decoration and a jigsaw-work frieze.

This house was constructed by Benjamin West about 1784. Purchased in 1836 by Hon. J.J. Gilchrist who later planted a grove in the front yard and was probably responsible for the Greek Revival alterations on the exterior. The house was sold to George Olcott in 1890 and was the home of A.T. Morse from 1905 until 1939. The house was extensively remodelled by Morse in 1905, including the addition of the south sunporch. Also at this time the original single bay pedimented entrance porch supported by two columns was replaced with the present porch spanning the entire facade.(35)

35. House, (east side of Main Street), c.1740 & 1830. Stephen Hassam, master builder of latter section, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded structure measuring five bays wide and three bays deep, set pediment end to the street above a granite block foundation, behind a picket fence. The central entrance consists of a molded six panel door flanked by half sidelights flanked by unusual pilasters marked by two indentations running the height of each pilaster and supporting a full entablature with a plain frieze. The doublehung 6/6 windows are capped by plain rectangular wooden lintels and are fitted with exterior storm windows and blinds. Plain cornerboards give rise to a boxed cornice which projects slightly. Two windows light the pediment, which is sheathed in horizontal flushboard. Four tall interior brick chimneys punctuate the slate roof. A single story clapboarded wing extends behind, spanned on the south side by a recessed porch supported by plain posts. Two gable dormers on the south side contain 9/6 sash. Remaining windows on the wing are 12/12, suggesting that this section predates the front. Attached to the end is a clapboarded barn/garage with an asphalt roof, close eaves and a sliding door on the south side.

According to the Second History of Charlestown, this house is located on lot #20 of the original proprietors lots and the ell may date to that early period. Its proportions echo the required dimensions of the grants and handhewn timbers and the clapboards between the ell and the main part of the house are still evident. The house had a succession of owners before the front section was added c. 1830-40 for one of two owners, Joseph Heaton or Jesse Healy. The builder was apparently Stephen Hassam, as indicated by a "clock-in--wall", his trademark.(36) Historic photographs indicate that the front door was previously sheltered by a flat-roofed entrance porch, a single bay wide, supported by posts.

36. Olcott House, (east side of Main Street), 1774 and 1889, Contributing.
Set back approximately 300 feet from Main Street is this impressive two story clapboarded structure consisting of a central block with a five bay facade facing Main Street, flanked by a two-story pediment end ell on each side . Wooden quoins decorate the building corners. Each of the pediment end sections projects slightly from the central core; this space is filled by a colonnade consisting of four two-story high fluted Doric columns supporting a full entablature with a rectangular panel above each column. The central entrance contains two large wooden doors capped by a swan's neck pediment. Windows on the building contain doublehung 6/6 sash flanked by blinds. First floor windows are capped by entablature lintels. On the second story the top of the window is without a lintel and is flush with the projecting bracketed cornice which surrounds the building. On the pedimented ends facing Main Street there are two 6/6 windows on the first floor. On the second floor is an arched 6/6 window, flanked by blinds, the top of which breaks through the cornice. A small arched louvered fan is centered in the pediment.

The secondary (south) facade contains six windows on each floor with a central entrance containing double glass doors. The entrance is marked by a flat roofed porch with bracketed cornice, supported by attenuated Doric columns. The roof of the porch is surrounded by a simple balustrade and acts as a small porch for the second story entrance. An open patio fronts the south elevation. At the southeast corner the slate roof profile changes from a gable to hip configuration.

On the east side, like the west, the central building is recessed between the two hyphens. On this side a single story colonnade of Doric columns fronts the central part measuring three bays wide and is capped by a balustrade decorated by urns and simple spindles. The north side is without entrance. A two story vertical board is located between the second and third bays. Fenestration includes predominantly 6/6 windows as well as a three sided bay window, a tripart window and a modern picture window.

Southeast of the house is a large wrought iron gate flanked by two large mortared ashlar posts which are topped by eagles.

Constructed by Simeon Olcott c. 1774 this house may include an earlier house on the site belonging to original grantee, Sylvanus Hastings. Sherman Paris purchased the house in 1867 from Henry Hubbard Jr. and in 1889 made extensive alterations including a stable, barn, gardeners house, ice house, pavilion, and a green house. He also added a cupola on the front of the main house (now removed), in which he had a chape. After remaining vacant for several years the house was sold to Mrs. Budd, later Mrs. Proctor, who removed the gingerbread ornament added by Paris, demolished the pavilion, most of the greenhouse and moved the toolhouse to the southeast corner of the property. (37)

36A. Carriage House, c. 1860, Contributing. East of the house is a small single story clapboarded carriage house capped by a mansard roof, sheathed in polychromatic slate shingles and resting on a granite block foundation. Corners of the building are articulated by wooden quoins. The building is square in plan with a rectangular addition, also capped by a mansard roof spanning the east side. The main (west) side contains two doublehung 2/2 windows with heavy entablatures as well as a modern doublewide garage door capped by transom lights, apparently scaled to fit the original barn door opening. Punctuating the center of the west side of the mansard roof is a segmental arch dormer containing a segment ally arched 2/2 window flanked by panels and capped by a keystone. Smaller dormers with arched 2/2 windows and gable roofs adorned by small brackets. are located to each side. Similar gable dormers punctuate the other sides of the roof, two to each roof section. A four panel door on the south side and enclosed gable porch on the east give access to the building. Projecting from the roof is a square ventilator with louvered rectangular openings on each side and a flared pyramidal roof capped by a ball and spindle weathervane.

36B. Hunt House, (south side of Paris Avenue), 1760 & 1799, Contributing. A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure measuring 2 x 2 bays above a stone block foundation. The central entrance is marked by a flat roofed porch supported by square posts. The modern wooden door is 'colonial" in spirit with integral transom lights at the top. Windows on the building contain doublehung 2/2 sash with simple surrounds and blinds. Two small 2 x 2 light garret windows are located in the attic. Two interior brick stove chimneys rise from the asphalt, gable roof. The projecting eaves are decorated by a boxed cornice. The two story ell is spanned by a single story shed porch with plain posts on the west side. The rear of the main house takes on a saltbox-like configuration on the east elevation and has a recessed screened porch supported by chamfered posts. A two story ell is set at right angles behind, its rear elevation spanned by a shed porch.

The central section of this house was constructed by 1760 by Samuel Hunt Jr. His son, Roswell added the front part when he became owner in 1799, probably at about the same time as the front section of the Hubbard House was added. (see #38) Roswell Hunt and John Hubbard were cousins and the builder for this building, like the Hubbard House, may well have been Stephen Hassam.(38) Historic photographs indicate that a flat-roofed entrance porch once fronted the central entrance. A porch extending along the west side of the building has also been removed.

37. House, (east side of Main Street), 1870's and earlier, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboard structure measuring 5 x 2 bays, resting on a brick foundation and capped by an asphalt gable roof with a large central gable wall dormer. The single story front porch is supported by bold turned posts with Neo Grec-inspired capitals decorated with designs abstracted from nature. The southern part of the porch has been screened above its wooden deck. Windows on the building contain doublehung 2/2 sash capped by shelf lintels. Most are flanked by blinds. Those on the first floor are floor length, second story windows are smaller. The central double doors have upper rectangular panes of glass. A small 1/1 window is located over the entrance. Centered in the front gable wall dormer is a 1/1 window with a shaped surround and peaked lintel decorated by a central rosette. The window rests on small wooden brackets. A similar window is located in the gable end, framed by the roofıs projecting eaves. A three sided bay window projects from the south side. Above is a large panelled brick chimney with a corbel cap. The south side of the two story ell is partially fronted by a shed roofed addition on a concrete foundation. A gable door hood marks a second entrance on this side. Two gable dormers punctuate the roof. Offset to the northeast is a large gablefronted barn with a large shed dormer on its north side and an additional gable-roofed section behind.

Parts of this structure may date to the early 1800's though the building's present appearance is chiefly the result of extensive alterations by owner Francis Gilson in the 1870's including making it into a two story house.(39)

38. Hubbard House. (west side of Main Street), c 1750 & c.1800, latter attributed to Stephen Hassam, master builder, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure facing northward with a facade five bays wide and side elevations two bays wide. Constructed on a stone foundation. Quoins mark the building corners and bold brackets decorate the projecting eaves. A deteriorating single story porch spans the facade, supported by Roman Doric columns. The central entrance contains a wide six panel door flanked by half sidelights. Windows on the building contain doublehung 6/6 sash, some are flanked by blinds. Two small windows light the garret on the east side. Two large interior squat brick chimneys project from the gable roof. What appears to be a two story ell is actually the original house on the site. There is a chimney on either side of the ell roof and the structure retains doublehung 12/12 windows. A single story porch spans the west side supported by turned posts with a spindle balustrade. A wider and larger ell is at the rear, resting above a brick and concrete block foundation. Windows contain 2/2 sash and are capped by lipped lintels. Doors on the ell are horizontally paneled with an upper glass window. A two story ell extends eastward from the rearmost section; openings include 2/2 windows and a circular vent in the attic.

According to local history, the middle section of this house dates to the mid 1700's if not before. About 1806 the building was a tavern operated by Michael Tuttle but was sold to Henry Hubbard by Vryling and Laura Lovell. Mr. Hubbard added the front section, the builder was probably Stephen Hassam .(40)

Henry Hubbard served as Governor of the State between 1842 and 1843, was Collector of the Port of Boston and a potential Presidential nominee at the time of Franklin Pierce. The rear section was added as a combined laundry and servant's quarters by its owner, Miss Helen Clapp in the 1890s.(41) The building served as the Unitarian Parsonage for sometime. It is currently undergoing restoration.

38A. Monument, Non-Contributing. Across from the Holton House is a grassy triangular common formed by the intersection of Main Street and Lower Landing Road. Centered in this area is a boulder with a bronze plaque indicating the site of the stockade of Fort No. 4, at the terminal of the trail of 1744 and the Province Road of 1768. This monument was placed here in memory of Grace Batchelder of Hanover, New Hampshire, a member of the Society of Daughters of Colonial Wars.

39. Holton House. (west side of Main Street), c. 1843. Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story frame structure set with its distinctive Greek Revival style recessed porch gablefront, measuring three bays wide, facing the street. The porch is supported by fluted Ionic columns. Beneath the projecting eaves with wide frieze, the second-story porch is framed by a large semicircular arch fronted by a wrought iron railing alternating simple posts and open almond shapes. (According to historic photos the original railing was a simple lattice). Sheltered by the porch the sidehall entrance contains a four panel door flanked by full sidelights, each of which is bisected by a central mullion. A wide peaked lintel caps the doorway, similar to those above each of the floorlength 12/12 windows. The facade is sheathed in flushboard, the rest of the building is clapboarded. Two gable dormers and a tall brick chimney project from the south side of the gable roof. A narrow gable wing connects the main house to an ell of similar height. ³Colonial" details including elipitical fanlights decorate the structure. Behind the ell and at right angles is a two story section with small 12/12 windows. The recessed porch is supported by plain posts which are spanned by arched spandrels.

39A. Barn, c. 1843, Contributing. Directly behind the main house is a large gablefront clapboarded barn capped by a slate roof with projecting eaves. Double doors are located on the south side and transommed sliding doors are on the north side. The fixed windows measure four panes by three panes.

39B. Outbuilding, date unknown, Contributing. North of the house is a long, single-story narrow clapboarded outbuilding.

Preceded on the site by an earlier house, this structure dates to c. 1843, constructed for David Holton, Jr. South of this house until 1891, when it burned, was a house popularly known as the "Evans House", built c.1776 by William Page, father of Governor Page of Vermont, and later converted for summer boarders. (42)

40. Lovell House, (west side of Main Street), 1825. Attributed to Stephen Hassam, master builder, Contributing.
A two story gable roofed brick structure measuring 5 x 3 bays with a granite block foundation. Brick is laid in a common bond alternating seven rows of stretchers to a single row of headers. The central entrance contains a molded six panel door flanked by half sidelights and capped by a two tier elipitical fanlight. Windows contain 6/6 doublehung sash, capped by splayed stone lintels and flanked by blinds. Attic windows contain 12/8 sash. Distinguishing this otherwise straightforward Federal style structure is an eaves balustrade and end parapet walls with four exterior brick chimneys. A molded entablature adorned by brackets encircles the building. Spanning the south side is an open porch with turned spindle balustrade. An additional entrance on this side contains a six panel door capped by a recessed semicircular fan. Extending behind is a two storey brick ell with a glassed porch on the south side occupying the space between the main house and ell; an open porch is on the opposite side. At the end of the ell is a single story clapboarded wing with a four panel door and 12/12 windows.

This house was constructed in 1825 for Vryling Lovell of brick made in a brickyard at the north end of Main Street, apparently also using materials from an earlier house on the site. According to Livingston Elder, its design is attributed to local builder, Stephen Hassam. Lovell, a graduate of Dartmouth College, came to Charlestown as a schoolteacher in 1803 and subsequently became a successful merchant.(43) In 1949 Deerfield Academy (Massachusetts) duplicated this house for use as an infirmary. This structure has also been photographed by the Historic American Buildings Survey. Divided into three apartments in 1952, the house was restored and renovated to its present condition in the early 1970's.

Lovell's daughter Laura married Chief Justice Edmund Cusing who, in 1840 moved and remodeled a small building north of the main house for his law office. The gable fronted clapboarded building, Greek Revival in style, was demolished in 1929.(44)

41. House, (west side of Main Street), 1775.(45) Contributing.
A small 2 story frame and clapboard structure set with its entryless broad side to the street. The window openings on the facade are irregularly spaced and include four openings on the first floor, without an opening in the center though, there is ample room for one. There are three evenly spaced window openings on the second floor, all of the windows contain doublehung 12/12 windows fitted with storm windows and blinds. The main entrance is located in the rearmost of two bays on the south side, sheltered by a shed porch with plain posts and balusters above a concrete deck. The entrance contains a modern paneled and glass door. Two interior brick chimneys project from the asbestos shingled gable roof ridge. Eaves on the gable ends cling closely to the wall, those on the facade project slightly. Extending behind is a two story ell with doublehung 12/12 windows on the first floor and small 8/8 on the second. A garage addition (c. 1920) angles southwest of the ell, containing two sets of doubledoors and capped by a square ventilator.

Thought to be one of the oldest houses in town, retaining most of its original form.

42. Hunt House, (west side of Main Street), 1881, Contributing.

A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure measuring 3 x 2 bays above a brick foundation. Marking the central entrance is a small flat-roofed porch supported by turned posts set on chamfered bases which are spanned by jigsaw-work balusters. The tops of the posts are decorated by bold brackets above which is a two part frieze. The double leaf doors are wooden, with incised decoration and upper glass panes and capped by a transom. To each side of the entrance is a paired set of 2/2 windows with entablature lintels. On the second floor a central joined pair is flanked by an individual window to each side. Vertical boards fill the area above the second story windows. A central gable wall dormer breaks the facade roofline, finished by brackets and containing two small fixed multipane windows. This gable, like those on the ends, is sheathed in vertical boards. A semicircular louvered opening is centered on each gable end. Brackets support the corners of the projecting eaves. A single chimney punctuates the interior of the south part of the asbestos shingled ridge. A single story three sided bay window capped by a shed roof supported by large brackets is located on the north side of the house. Projecting from the south gable end is a two story gable wing with stick detailing echoing that on the main building. A screened porch fills the corner space between the wing and the main house. Extending behind is a two story ell, its rear elevation spanned by a single story shed addition.

42A Garage, date unknown, Contributing. Situated southwest of the main house is a small gableroofed, clapboarded two car garage. It is set broadside to the street and capped by a slate roof.

42B. Outbuilding, date unknown, Contributing. Behind the garage is a gable fronted clapboarded structure capped by an asphalt roof with close eaves. Possibly associated with original house on property.

Constructed in 1881 for the three Miss Hunts, sisters Carrie, Helen and Louisa, this house replaces a small 1-1/2 story structure built on the site in 1795. It burned in 1879.(46) This house is very similar in detailing to the Labaree House (#45) constructed in 1887.

43. Silsby House, (west side of Main Street), by 1798 & later, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure measuring five bays wide and two bays deep above a stone foundation. The central entrance contains a six panel door flanked by sidelights and pilasters. It is marked by a flat roofed entrance porch supported by fluted Ionic columns which carry an entablature with two part frieze decorated by dentils. Windows on the building contain 6/6 doublehung sash and are capped by low peaked lintels and flanked by blinds. Over the entrance is a tripart window consisting of a 6/6 window flanked by 2/2 sidepanels. A single story three sided bay window resting on a brick foundation is located on each side elevation. The gable ends display close eaves and shallow cornice returns. The east slope of the slate gable roof is punctuated by two interior brick chimneys. A shed porch spans the rear elevation. Extending behind the north half of the house is a 1-1/2 story clapboarded ell marked by lattice-covered arched openings with keystones and imposed blocks. A gable wall dormer lights the north slope. Two similarly sized ells continue at the rear, ending with a clapboarded barn with close eaves, a sliding door, 6/6 windows and an elliptical fanlight.

According to the town history the ell of this structure predates the front section. It appears that the front house was built by lsaac Silsby in 1833, just outside the Fort Grounds. The ell appears to have been on the site by 1798.(47)

44. Kimball House, (113 Main Street), 1835 and earlier, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded house measuring three by four bays with a pediment front and sidehall entrance. Situated on a loose stone block foundation, granite steps front the doorway which is capped by a four-light transom and framed by pilasters. An entablature lintel with wide frieze and dentils is located above. Behind the exterior door is a paneled reveal and the original transommed and sidelit doorway. Recessed paneled pilasters mark the corners of the building. Windows on the house are 6/6 doublehung with blinds and peaked entablature lintels. A tripart window lights the attic of the facade consisting of a 6/6 window flanked by 2/2 long vertical windows. A single-story rectangular bay projects from the rear of the main buildingıs north side. Extending behind is a two-story wing with a two-story porch on the south side above a mortared rubble foundation and supported by turned posts. At the rear is an additional two-story gabled wing with modern fenestration.

Rear wing may be the original house constructed on the property after 1761 by Dr. David Taylor. In 1835, several owners later, the property was purchased by Brooks Kimball who added the front section. (48)

44A Barn/Garage, c. 1880, Contributing. Behind the house is a two-story garage (32' x 36') sheathed in a combination of clapboards and barnboards with an asphalt gable roof, three garage openings and an arched attic window.

45. Labaree House, (107 Main Street), 1887, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded house set broadside to the street and measuring three bays wide and two bays deep. Sheltering the raised central entrance containing double doors is a gable porch supported by turned posts. To each side of the entrance is a paired set of 2/2 windows with simple surrounds and blinds. Second-floor windows are single units Above the entrance is a central gable wall dormer containing two typical Queen Anne style windows featuring a border of small square panes around the glass. The windows are flanked by brackets with vertical boards decorating the gable. The gable on each side elevation is sheathed in vertical boards with rounded ends. A lunette window lights the attic on both ends. Marking the rear of the south side is a three-sided two-story bay window sheathed in vertical boards. A two-story rectangular bay with a gable roof supported by large brackets projects from the north side with gable detailing like that seen in the attic. A paired window set lights the upstairs with a tripartite window on the first floor. Decorative stickwork, including horizontal boards applied over the clapboards above and below the windows and vertical boards, enlivens the building. Extending behind are a two-story clapboarded ell with a single-story addition at the rear. Closed porches are located at the rear and side.

This house was constructed in 1887 for William Labaree apparently using the mirror image of the design and plan of the Hunt House (#42) built six years earlier. The stone blacksmith shop of Brooks Kimball (see #44) was demolished to make room for the present house.(49)

45A Garage, c. 1910, Contributing. Southwest of the house is a two-story, two-car clapboarded, gable roofed garage measuring 20' x 24'.

Archeological digs on this property in the 1950's by Howard Sargent identified this area as the original site of Fort #4, which is commemorated by an iron highway marker facing the street. The marker also notes the construction of the fort in 1744 and the fact that it was besieged in 1747 by French and Indians who were beated off by a thirty-one man garrison in a three day battle, after which the fort was never attacked again.

45B. Monument, 1904-1908, Contributing. Between properties #45 & 46 on the grassy strip of land between the sidewalk and street there is also a large boulder with bronze plaques on its front and back. That facing the street indicates that this boulder from the hill side was set here by citizens of Charlestown with the cooperation of the Union Historical Society of Charlestown and the Society of Colonial Wars in Springfield to mark the site of the fort, in 1904 commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Indian Raid. The plaque on the opposite side of the rock honors the leadership of Captain Phineas Stevens in the successful defense of the fort and was erected by Stevens' descendants and Charlestown citizens in 1908.

45C. Highway Marker, Non-Contributing. An additional iron highway marker northeast of this boulder memorializes the expedition of General John Stark to Bennington, Vermont in August 1777. After assembling a force of 1,500 New Hampshire men at Fort #4, Stark and his troops defeated combined British and German forces at the Battle of Bennington on August 16th in what was to be a major turning point of the Revolutionary War.

46. Walker House, (101 Main Street), 1834, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story, five-by three-bay gable fronted structure constructed of mortared random rubble. Fronting the first floor of the facade is a porch supported by four posts with recessed panels. The central entrance contains a paneled door framed by 3/4 sidelights decorated by a grid of mullions with panels below and cornerblocks above. The three doublehung 6/6 windows on the second story of the facade are capped by a continuous stone lintel. A lunette window lights the attic. Centered on the north elevation is a clapboarded vestibule. Three gable dormers each containing a 6/6 window pierce each side of the roof in addition to four chimneys marking the interior ends. At the rear is a single-story clapboarded wing with a central gable doorhood on the north side. A deck (1981) is offset to the southwest.

This stone cottage was built in 1834 for Mary Walker.

46A. Garage, 1981, Non-Contributing. Northwest of the house is a small gable roofed garage, constructed of vertical board siding.

According to local architect, Livingston Elder, the stonework and detailing on the house is very similar to houses in Chester. Vermont and it is possible that masons from Chester were brought here to construct this house.(50)

As indicated by a small quartz boulder next to the driveway, erected by the Old Fort No. 4 Committee, this was the site of the Walker Tavern, an important local landmark from 1760 to 1793. The tavern was moved to the back of the lot in 1834 to make way for the stone cottage. In 1860 it was moved across the railroad tracks to the site of Clough's Mobile Homes where it burned in the early 1960's.(51)

47. South Parish Unitarian Church, (Main and Railway Streets), 1842-1813. Stephen Hassam,master builder, Contributing.
A single-story brick church constructed in a bond alternating nine rows of stretcher brick to a single row of headers, set above a beveled stone block foundation. Measuring three bays wide and three bays deep. Projecting from the facade is a pavilion with an angled flat roof profile, containing the central compound pointed arched portal. The double doors are set into a pointed arch doorframe and take on the appearance of intersecting tracery with recessed panels and quatrefoil panels located below, fronted by stone steps with wrought iron railings. Octagonal columns support the outermost molding of the molded archivolts which are capped by delicate foliate tracery and crowned by a central crocket. Above the entrance are two doublehung 1/1 pointed arch windows with label mold lintels. Larger versions of the window predominate elsewhere on the building filled with colored stained glass featuring gold diamonds with a blue border installed in 1885. Rising from the front of the roof is a two-stage square belfry and steeple. Octagonal columns with capitals and bases mark the corners of the square base with a circular clock face centered on each side flanked by projecting, trefoil arch panels.

Located above is an open belfry, octagonal in plan, alternating larger and smaller gables with lancet openings. Delicate wooden tracery decorates both the inside of the curve and the gable which culminates in a crocket. Additional tracery decorates the projecting panels at the top of each face of the octagonal steeple which is capped by a "flying breeches" weathervane. The rear elevation which is two bays wide features a central brick projecting pavilion housing the apse with a smaller clapboard shed. Arches at the back have simple brick lintels. A clapboarded gable roofed vestibule projects from the south side with two 12/12 windows and a six-panel door.

Constructed in 1842 to replace an earlier church (c.1819) which burned in the Great Fire of 1842. The spire closely resembles that on the Methodist Church (1842) in South Acworth, suggesting the work of the same builder, in this case thought to be local builder Stephen Hassam (1761 1861). Stained glass windows were installed in 1885. In 1904 the church was completely renovated and exterior brick painted a buff color.

In 1952 the exterior of the church was sandblasted to remove the paint from the brick walls. Horsesheds at the rear of the church have long since been removed.(52)

47A. South Parish Vestry, 1893, Contributing.(53) A 1-1/2 story clapboarded structure offset to the northwest of the South Parish Church, comprised of a main structure with wing to the west. The offcenter entrance on the north side is marked by a hip roof porch supported by turned posts with a spindle frieze and fronted by a steep staircase extending to the sidewalk, displaying turned spindles and balled newel posts. The wooden paneled door features a large upper glass. Windows on the structure are 2/2 with lip lintels and blinds. Two shed dormers protrude from each side of the main house with long shed dormers containing three windows each spanning the addition. Corner pilasters articulate the building edges, culminating in cornice returns on the east side elevation, which measures three bays wide with a central six-panel door flanked by a window on each side. The wing is set upon a concrete block foundation and its facade is four bays wide.

48. Paris Fountain, (Main Street and Railway Street), 1901. Contributing.
Located in the middle of the intersection of Main Street and Railway Street, the Paris Fountain stands three feet high and is comprised of a basin of granite approximately five feet across, below which is a fillet molding and base measuring 1-1/2 feet high. Carved in relief on two sides of the basin are "1901." A band of reflective tape encircles the basin. Some years after its replacement water was supplied for it from springs east of the village and later town water (1906). Moved in 1923 from its original location in front of the old post office (#50) to its present position.

The Fountain was donated by Mrs. Sherman Paris and is a replica of similar structures she had seen in Rome for birds and animals.(54)

49. Silsby Free Library, (Main Street and Railway Street), 1893-1894 (&1977), C.C. McAlpine, Architect, Contributing.
A 1-1/2 story structure constructed of red brick laid in a bond of eight rows of stretchers to a row alternating stretchers and headers, laid with red mortar enhanced by rockface red sandstone trimmings. The center of the asymmetrical structure is a gable roofed structure set broadside to Main Street with a bellcast roof projecting from the south side of the facade capping an arched entrance portico. Adjacent is a two-story circular tower with conical roof with a cross gable to the north. Semicircular arched openings with rockfaced voussoirs and impost blocks of sandstone mark the entrance with the brick piers set on rockfaced bases, decorated by a terra cotta boss. Recessed underneath, the modern glass and aluminum door is located above sandstone steps. Centered above the entrance is a hip roofed dormer containing two six-pane windows. The two-story circular tower to the north features transomed doublehung 1/1 windows with sandstone sills and lintels above the transom light. In the attic are 8/8 doublehung square windows with flat arch gauged lintels. Fish scale slate shingles cap the conical roof. Adjacent to the tower is a cross gable dominated by a second-story tripartite window containing multiple small, square panes of glass. Beneath are three doublehung 1/1 windows with a stone panel reading "SILSBY LIBRARY" above, capped by a small arched niche below the terra cotta raking. A corbel brick cornice decorates the north four-bay elevation. The south side features three transomed l/1 windows, which like the other windows on the structure are capped by a continuous rockfaced band above and below the windows. An additional belt course at the water table level encircles the library above single-light rectangular basement windows. Three arched doublehung 1/1 windows are arranged in ribbon-like fashion in the attic capped by stepped brick flat lintels with horizontal bands at the springline. A row of stretcher brick on edge is at the top of the gable above which is diagonally laid brick. The terra cotta raking ends in foliate ornament at the front of this elevation.

A two-story brick 1977 addition with hip roof extends behind surrounding an earlier ell with gable roofed clapboarded and still visible at the rear. Sliding aluminum windows are on the first floor with doublehung 1/1 above. Rockface belt courses act as lintels for those on the first and sills for the second story. The entrance to the Town Offices at the rear features a semicircular brick arch over the floor. A circular handicapped ramp has been added at the north side. Livingston Elder was the architect for the addition.

Funded by a request from Colonel Ithiel Homer Silsby of Acworth whose will specific construction of 1-1/2 stories of face brick with stone trimmings. Constructed between 1893 and 1894, the library was opened to the public in 1896.(55) Architect of the structure was C. C. McAlpine of Boston. Building drawings appeared in American Architect and Building News. (56)

50. "Bakery Block," (west side of Main Street), 1812-1843, Contributing.
Revival style of brick laid in a stretcher bond and set on a random ashlar mortared foundation. Granite block walls flank the flight of stairs leading to the deeply recessed clapboarded entrance. A modern wrought iron railing runs down the center of the stairs. The original door and frame have been replaced by a modern "colonial" model. Measuring three bays wide and four deep the building is ordered by pilaster strips supporting a plain two part frieze beneath a boxed panel. Windows are 6/6 doublehung with granite sills and peaked granite lintels supported by small blocks. Chisel marks remain from when stone was removed from bedrock. The north (side) elevation features a shed doorhood and an arched opening. This entrance replaced a former front door at the basement level to the right of the front steps. Several 12/12 windows survive on the structure. Photos show a central entrance with gable doorhood supported by wooden brackets at one time existed on the south side. Until recently, four tall corbel cap brick chimneys punctuated the slate roof.

Constructed after a fire in 1842 destroyed many of the buildings along the west side of Main Street. Known for many years as the Bakery Block, William Lawrence operated a bakery here, selling large round crackers, with carts peddling the biscuits on the road. During the Civil War he became alarmed and sold the property. Later the building housed the post office and various commercial uses.(57) In New Hampshire Architecture Bryant Tolles, Jr. notes that the building is similar to the Cheshire National Bank in Winchester and may be the work of the same builder.(58)

According to the buildingıs present owner, research completed by a Boston architect for a previous owner in the 1970's, indicates that this building constructed in the decade after 1800 was the first fixed schoolhouse in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.(59)

51. Monuments, (west side of Main Street), 1 Contributing, 2 Non-Contributing.
Northeast of the Bakery Block is a set of three stone monuments located at street side of a level lawn. To the south is a stone placed in memory of deceased members of the Old No. 4 Fire and Hose Company (51A-non-contributing). In the center is a Statue of a Civil War Union Soldier (51B-contributing) at ease with musket, approximately five feet high, atop a rockfaced granite block 5-1/2 feet high, three feet wide and deep, above a shorter 12 foot beveled base which protrudes an additional nine inches on each side. Upon the front of the die is the GAR emblem and on the north and south sides bronze tablets bear the names of the 144 Civil War soldiers from Charlestown. Funds for the monument were raised by 200 contributors in 1909-1911, the monument bought and placed on a site furnished by the town. Unveiled October 6, 1911. A bronze tablet bearing the names of Charlestown citizens serving in World War I was added to the rear (west) face in 1929. To the north is a rockface granite block three feet wide and 2-1/2 feet tall above a base six inches high and five feet two inches wide with a smooth face bearing an inscription dedicated to those serving in the Korean Conflict. The block is capped by a flagpole and dates to 1954

52 Jiffy Mart, (west side of Main Street), 1951 with later alterations.(60) Non-Contributing.
A single-story structure set broadside to the street and constructed of T111 siding. It is capped by asphalt gable roof with off-center gable projecting from the front slope, reading "Jiffy Mart." The buildingıs current appearance is the result of the remodelling of an existing gas station about two years ago. The two previous garage bays have been filled with diagonal boards. This building stands on the site of the Eagle Hotel, an important local landmark which burned in 1904.

53. Hall House, (west side of Main Street), c. 1776. Contributing A 2-1/2 story clapboarded structure measuring five bays wide and two bays deep with a central entrance containing double doors with etched glass panels, sheltered by storm doors and flanked by pilasters supporting a simple entablature lintel. Windows on the building contain doublehung 2/2 sash. On the first floor these are capped by simple entablature lintels with cable moldings and flanked by blinds. Those on the second floor extend up to a fret molding at the cornice which ends in cornice returns on the side elevations. Projecting from the south side is a three-sided bay window and porch supported by chamfered posts on pedestals with a cornice adorned by paired brackets. Centered on the north elevation is a transommed doorway typical of the period. Extending behind is a two-story ell with a gable vestibule projecting from the north side. Offset to the northwest is an attached barn with a sliding door on its gable front and 12/12 windows probably indicative of the house's original windows.

Constructed by Oliver Hall who bought the lot in 1776. The Episcopal Church bought the property for a parsonage in 1907.(61)

53A Barn, c. 1890, Contributing. Located behind the main house is a gableroofed late 19th century barn sheathed in clapboards except for its barnboard rear elevation. A sliding wooden door provides access.

54. St Luke's Episcopal Church, (Main Street at Church Street), 1863, 1869. Richard Upjohn,Architect, Contributing.
A small country church with a cruciform plan sheathed in board and batten siding with zigzag bottom edges. Its nave runs in an east/west direction, bisected by transepts and ending in a polygonal apse at the east end. A shed addition abuts the north end of the apse. The placement of a square tower at the southeast corner dominates the otherwise symmetrical plan. The first-floor tower window is a small peaked rectangular window with entry through a pointed arch doorway on the south side. Second-story windows are rectangular. Apse windows have a low pointed shape with label molds. Above the two-story base, the tower is capped by a steeply pitched truncated hip roof sheathed in hexagonal and regular slate shingles, capped by a smaller square stage with a louvered. almond shaped opening on each side and surmounted by a pyramidal roof topped by a cross. Remaining roof surfaces are sheathed in alternating bands of green and purple slate. Each of the transept ends features a tripart trefoil arch window. Rafters support the projecting eaves with a collar tie adorned by four cutout quatrefoil designs. The nave is four bays wide with small peaked rectangular windows. A small steeply pitched gable vestibule extends from the rear of the south side. Located in the rear of the nave is a six-part circular stained glass window capped by a collar tie similar to those in the transepts.

The church was designed in 1863 by Richard Upjohn, a prominent New York ecclesiastical architect and is New Hampshire's only wooden church by Upjohn. Ground broken July 4, 1863; completed December 10, 1863; consecrated December 11, 1863. The church was enlarged in 1869 by the architect's son, Richard M. Upjohn, by moving the nave back 22 feet and building transepts, a tower and steeple.(62)

55A. Former Hall Carriage House, (River Street), before 1890, Contributing. A 1-1/2 story frame structure, setback from and oriented gable front to Main Street. Formerly a carriage house, the structure was renovated for use as a private residence in 1969. The exterior is sheathed in wide clapboards and the roof is covered in asphalt shingles. The foundation is constructed of granite block. Replacing the original sliding barn door on the front of the building is a ³colonial" style doorway consisting of a six panel door with partial sidelights and fluted pilasters. Next to the entrance is a doublehung 8/8 window. A joined pair of horizontal casement windows with 2/2 panes are located in the attic and flanked by blinds. Corner pilasters support deep cornice returns with a plain frieze underneath. Broad cross gable wall dormers are centered on both the north and south elevations. The larger original windows have been replaced with 2/2 casement windows with shutters and a tripart 6/6 window on the north side.

A single story gable-roofed garage was added to the west elevation in 1969. Resting on a concrete block foundation it is lit by 6/6 windows with blinds and decorated by pilasters and cornice returns similar to those on the main building.

This structure was originally the Carriage house for the Hall House (#55) to the south. According to the building's present owners, who were responsible for the 1969 renovations, the building has stood on the present site about 96 years. The building was apparently brought in "from the meadows" and placed on a granite foundation which survived after the original stable burned in 1890. The building's cupola has been removed.(65)

56. Sumner House, (40 Main Street), 1823. Stephen Hassam, master builder.(66) Contributing.
A two-story gable fronted structure constructed of brick laid in a Flemish bond above a stone foundation. Fronted by stone steps, the sidehall entrance is marked by a flat roof porch supported by fluted Doric columns carrying an entablature adorned by triglyphs. The six-panel door is capped by a delicate fanlight with cable molding surround and framed by half sidelights. Above the entrance is a tripart window consisting of a 2/2 window flanked by sidelights. Remaining windows are 2/2 doublehung capped by splayed stone lintels, with wooden sills. Centered in the flushboard pediment of the facade is a louvered semicircular opening. Wrapping around the building is a bracketed cornice decorated by a cable molding, holes and incised lines with wooden pendant drops at the bottom, apparently inspired by the builder's guides of Asher Benjamin. Four tall interior brick chimneys rise from the slate roof. Extending behind is a two-story wing constructed of shiplap siding with windows and cornice echoing those of the front section. A glassed porch is located on the south side supported by plain posts capped by curvilinear scroll brackets. A single column, indicative of the original, survives, displaying a "capital" decorated by raised circles and a chamfered post resting on a base with recessed panels. At the rear is a single-story wing, also of shiplap siding with a slate roof and recessed porch on the south side with posts matching those on the glassed porch.

Constructed in 1823 for Judge F.A. Sumner, probably by local master builder Stephen Hassam. Brick for this house reportedly came from abroad as ballast in a ship. Outer walls are four bricks thick.(67) Of interest inside is a handsome circular stairway in the front hall.

57. Former Sumner Carriage House, (River Street), original date of construction unknown, alterations date to 1984, Contributing.
Formerly the Sumner carriage barn, this 36' x 40' clapboarded structure was renovated for use by the Claremont Savings Bank about 1984. Southwest of the house, the building is set with its broadside facing the street with four continuous elliptical arch framed bays. That to the south contains modern double doors flanked by half sidelights. The remaining facade arches contain large picture windows with smaller side window panels and false applied mullions. Plain cornerboards rise to projecting eaves and the roof is covered in slate. Two levels are revealed at the rear including a two-car drive-in, the flat roof supported by plain wooden posts. A barn which was previously associated with the property was moved to the rear of #60 about two years ago.

58. Hassam House, (37 Main Street), c. 1800. Stephen Hassam, master builder, Contributing.
A two-story clapboarded house measuring five bays across and two deep, capped by a gable roof with pedimented ends. Retains original central chimney. The central entrance contains a wide door with six panels which are arranged in two rows of three and is capped by a louvered fan crowned by a broken pediment porch supported by fluted Doric columns. Windows on the building contain doublehung 2/2 windows (not original to the building) with simple surrounds. Those on the second floor are capped by simple molded lintels which overlay the bedmold under the cornice. Tapered fluted pilasters capped by small consoles mark the corners of the house. Extending to the north is a single-story wing with a windowless facade decorated by three flat wooden arches with keystones supported by pilasters with a shed behind. A single-story gable vestibule projects from the south elevation while a two-story ell is at the rear of the main house. Granite markers are spaced at intervals on the lawn.

Constructed by prominent local builder Stephen Hassam, who purchased the property in 1800. Originally had double doors reputedly replaced with single wide door at Mrs. Hassam's request, owing to her wide hoop skirts. Relatively unaltered, it retains its central chimney.(68)

59. Masonic Hall, (west side of Main Street), c. 1908, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story, gable fronted clapboard structure, its facade largely obscured by two large pine trees located at the front building corners. The central entrance is recessed, flanked by an angled doorway to each side. Each of the three front entrances contains a horizontal panel and glass door capped by a simple shelf lintel. The front porch base is constructed of concrete and the foundation has been faced in the same. A shed roof shelters the porch. A joined pair of windows flanks each side of the porch and contain 2/2 sash fitted with storm windows and capped by a shelf lintel. The second story of the facade contains four individual windows, the third of which is blind. There are two windows in the attic. The eaves of the (asphalt) gable roof project. A single off-center brick chimney with a corbel cap rises from the roof. Side elevations are four bays deep. A small shed porch with low central pediment marks an entrance on each of the north and south sides. A flagpole is located in the front yard.

This building stands on the site of Hassam's barn (see #58) which was incorporated as part of this building. The property was bought in 1908 by Lyman Eaton and Mrs. H.M. Robertson who built the building. It was later sold to the Grange who had an assembly hall on the second floor with apartments on the first. It has been owned by the Masons since 1937.(69)

59A Shed, c. 1910, Contributing. Behind the building is a small gablefront outbuilding sheathed in asphalt with a corrugated metal roof and a sliding wooden door.

60. Simonds House, (west side of Main Street), c. 1807, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story brick structure measuring set above a granite block foundation. Brick is laid in a Flemish bond. Single-story recessed arches decorate the three-bay pedimented facade. The sidehall entrance contains double doors with upper glass panes, and are set into a recessed entrance. A two-tier semicircular fanlight caps the doorway. Windows on the building contain doublehung 2/2 sash with simple surrounds and without lintels. The front pediment is clapboarded, outlined by projecting caves decorated by a rope molding with incised holes. The gable roof is sheathed in asphalt shingles, two large interior brick chimney stacks punctuate the north slope. A three sided bay window projects from the three-bay south elevation; the opposite side is five bays wide. The two-story clapboarded wing is set above a mortared rubble foundation. A shed porch supported by plain posts spans the south side.

60A. Barn, early 19th c., Contributing. Southwest of the house is a clapboarded barn with a low gable front decorated by cornice returns. A sliding door is located on the front; windows contain 12/12 doublehung sash.

According to local history the house was built for Elijah Simonds about 1807, possibly by Roswell Willard. (70)

61. Carol's Coffee Shop and Bakery, (west side of Main Street), date of construction unknown. Non-contributing.
A single-story clapboarded building set broadside to the street, capped by a gable slate roof with an offcenter brick ridge chimney. A shed addition constructed of T111 siding spans the facade with modern windows. The south side elevation, framed by cornice returns, is two bays deep containing doublehung 2/2 windows capped by plain lintels and framed by blinds. At right angles and attached to the north side of the main building is a gable roofed addition constructed of horizontal flushboard.

This building apparently includes fragments of an older structure (c.1825)(71) previously on the site, which was almost completely destroyed by fire several years ago. An apartment house for several years before it burned, it was converted to a single family residence after the fire and was renovated for use as a restaurant about two years ago.

61A. Shed, date unknown, Non-Contributing. Northwest of the building is a clapboarded outbuilding with a gable roof.

62. Osgood Doublehouse, (west side of Main Street), 1907, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded doublehouse situated upon a brick foundation. Spanning the six-bay facade is a shed roofed porch supported by turned posts above a wooden deck and latticed airspace, spanned by turned spindles with newel posts on the end. The ornate brackets incorporate turned elements, drop pendants and a bull's-eye ornament. The dual front doors each contain a horizontally paneled door with upper glass window. The doublehung 2/2 windows are fitted with exterior metal storm windows and capped by lipped lintels. Side elevations contain four window openings on the first floor, three on the second and two on the third. Plain corner boards give rise to projecting eaves and a plain frieze. Two interior brick chimneys project from the ridge of the slate roof.

A single-story ell is offset at the northwest and southwest corners of the rear elevation. Each has a central chimney and a shed porch supported by turned posts in the corner formed by the junction of the main house and the ell.

This perfectly symmetrical doublehouse was built by Walter Osgood in 1907 as an investment property. (72)

63. House, (west side of Main Street), c. 1808, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story clapboarded structure set broadside to the street measuring five bays wide and two bays deep. The central entrance contains a wooden door protected by a storm door with a plain wooden surround. The window opening over the entrance is filled with clapboards; remaining windows contain large doublehung 2/2 sash with lipped lintels and flanked by blinds. Historic views indicate the windows originally contained 12/12 sash. Attic windows contain 6/6 sash. The roof is sheathed in asphalt shingles with projecting eaves. A single off-center concrete block interior chimney punctuates the roof. A single-story ell continues the north side wall. An open porch supported by turned posts with decorative brackets and a turned spindle balustrade spans the south side. At the rear a barnboard connector building with a sliding door on the south side joins the ell and a clapboarded barn offset to the southwest, which is set parallel to the house with a sliding door on its broadside.

Constructed by Ebenezer Fletcher for his woodworking shop about 1808. Fletcher sold the property to Thomas Trow who used it as a wheelwright shop. It was bought by William Briggs in 1843 who converted it into a dwelling with attached shed. It originally stood farther north and in 1848 was moved to its present site.

64. Fletcher House, (west side of Main Street), c. 1808, Contributing.
A 2-1/2 story frame and clapboard structure set broad side to the street and measuring five bays wide and four bays deep. Resting on a brick foundation, the structure is capped by an asphalt gable roof with pediment ends and is punctuated by two interior brick chimneys. The central front entrance is marked by a gabled, enclosed vestibule protecting a modern nine-panel door. Windows contain 2/2 doublehung sash and are grouped in pairs. A smaller window doublehung 1/1 sash lights the attic. Simple cornerboards give rise to projecting eaves. Spanning the rear is a modern flat roofed garage constructed of vertical boards, constructed after the building was converted for use as a funeral home.

According to local history, this structure was built by Ebenezer Fletcher for his woodworking shop about 1808. A barn on the property burned in 1881.(73)

FOOTNOTES:
1. Taped lectures on Charlestown architecture by Livingston Elder, 1980, Charlestown, NH. Tapes property of Janet Hofmeister, Charlestown.
2. Martha McD. Frizzell, Second History of Charlestown, N.H., The Old Number Four. (Littleton, N.H.: Courier Publishing Co., 1955), p. 62.
3. Charlestown's oldest church lines up its 150 year history". Eagle Times, Nov. 3, 1985.
4. Frizzell, p. 63.
5. Ibid.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid, p. 286.
8. Ibid, p. 63.
9. Ibid, p. 282.
10. Ibid, p. 64.
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid, p. 65.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid, p. 66
16. Ibid, p. 282
17. Ibid, p. 66.
18. Ibid, p. 199.
19. Ibid, p. 209.
20. Ibid, p. 208.
21. National Register Nomination. Charlestown Hall. Listed March 15, 1984. N.H.
22. Elder lectures.
23. Frizzell, p. 213.
24. Ibid, p. 208.
25. Ibid, p. 207.
26. Ibid, p. 208
27. Ibid, p- 281-2
28. Ibid, p. 67
29. Ibid.
30. Ibid, p 68
31. Ibid.
32. Ibid, p. 69.
33. Ibid, p. 288
34. Ibid, p. 78
35. Ibid, p. ~9-70.
36. Ibid, p. 70.
37. Ibid, p. 71.
38. Ibid, p. 71-2.
39. Ibid, p. 73.
40. Elder lectures.
41. Frizzell, p- 75
42. Ibid, p. 75-6
43. Ibid.
44. Ibid, p. 77.
45. Ibid
46. Interview with owner.
47. Frizzell, p. 78.
48. Ibid.
49. Ibid.
50. Elder lectures.
51. Notation, Maud Prouty painting, Silsby Library, Charlestown.
52. Frizzell, p. 284-5.
53. Ibid.
54. Ibid, p. 322
55. Ibid, p. 193.
56. American Architect and Building News, v. 39, p. 62, pl. 892, January 28, 1893.
57. Frizzell, p. 212.
58. Bryant Tolles, Jr., New Hampshire Architecture. An Illustrated Guide. (Hanover: University Press, 1979), p. 166.
59. Interview with owner.
60. Frizzell, p. 283.
61. Ibid, p. 79
62. Tolles, p. 165.
63. "Catalog of Episcopal Churches in New Hampshire". Unpublished document, State Library, Concord.
64. Frizzell, p. 79-80.
65. Ibid, p. 80
66. Elder lectures.
67. Frizzell, p. 81
68. Ibid.
69. Ibid, p 82.
70. Ibid, p. 82.
71. Ibid.
72. Ibid.
73. Ibid, p. 82-83.

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Owing to its quality of design, setting, materials, workmanship and feeling, the Charlestown Main Street Historic District figures significantly in the general category of American architecture under National Register Criterion C. Beginning with its early importance as the northernmost fort in the Connecticut River Valley, Charlestown exerted a more extensive influence than any other town in the region during the 18th century. During the 19th century Charlestown was reportedly one of the most important law centers in New England next to Boston and Manchester, NH.(1) Regional importance translated into a wealth of architecturally significant structures including the more than sixty structures along Main Street included in this district which date from c. 1750 - 1924. The district combines residential, civic, commercial and religious structures, representing the work of prominent architects of the day as well as relatively unknown master builders. Nearly all are fine examples of their representative styles.

Charlestown, early known as Number 4, was chartered by Massachussetts in 1735 with the town plot laid out in 1737 and first settlers arriving in 1740. A frontier town for twenty years beginning in the 1740's, Number 4 was part of a cordon of forts protecting the region including Chesterfield (No. 1), Westwood (No.2), Walpole (No. 3) and Charlestown. The fort itself, measuring 3/4 of an acre, was constructed in 1743 on the west side of lower Main Street, near the current location of building #45 in the district. Because it was for many years the northernmost outpost in the Connecticut Valley, Charlestown's position early on was enhanced by its role as a trading center for the surrounding countryside and a gateway to northern settlements. The township was chartered by New Hampshire in 1753 as Charlestown.

It was not until about 1753 as the threat of Indian attack appeared to subside that settlers began to prepare homes on the lots along what is now Main Street, still in close proximity to the fort and despite the fact that Indian attacks continued until 1760. The structure historically known as the Johnson House (#1) reportedly integrates part of the original log cabin from which the Johnson family was taken captive by Indians in 1754 and taken to Canada. Main Street itself was laid out in 1763. Summer Street, predating Main Street by almost 20 years, gained early importance as the road leading to the mill.

At least ten buildings in the district predate 1800 though in several cases early features have been obscured by later additions, alterations or as was common, construction of a later, more elaborate main house using the original structure as an ell. The measurements of several of these buildings (#35) correspond nearly exactly to the prescribed sizes of houses as dictated by the Province government and were thus commonly called "Province Houses".(2)

One of the oldest surviving structures on Main Street is the brick North Primary School (#5) constructed in 1772 but functioning as a dwelling since 1894. St. Luke's Rectory (#53) dates to 1776 and is Georgian in style, distinguished by elaborate first floor window lintels, a classic central entrance and transomed side entrance. Less elaborate and more indicative of the simple structures erected by many early settlers is the Moses Willard House (#30), located at the southeast corner of Elm and Main Streets, built sometime before 1800.

During this early period the Olcott House (#36), constructed in 1774 with later alterations, was undoubtedly the showcase of Charlestown. Consisting of a central block flanked by a pediment end ell on each side. the building is decorated by high Georgian detailing including quoining, a swan's neck pediment, full entablature lintels and a hip roof.

Most of the buildings lining Main Street today date to the 19th century. Periods of heightened building activity include the decade following 1800 and the 1830's. As in many downtown areas, fire loss has had an important role in the evolution of Main Street. In 1842, a fire set by a prisoner in the jail swept away everything from Depot Street south to and including the Meeting House which previously stood on the site of the South Parish Church (#47). Concurrent with this period of accelerated building activity in Charlestown was the flourishing of the Federal, Greek Revival and Gothic styles. Local master builder Stephen Hassam (1761-1861) appears to have acted as one of the primary vehicles for transporting all of these styles to Charlestown and is responsible for the delicate woodcarving adorning many Charlestown buildings. Born in Boston in 1761, Hassam spent his early years as an apprentice to a clockmaker in Worcester, Massachusetts. By 1778 he was in Charlestown, the earliest structures by his hand reportedly date to 1800.(3) An exact source for Hassamıs architectural training is not known though he was clearly heavily influenced by the architectural guides of Asher Benjamin and his contemporaries. Buildings within the district attributed to Hassam include the old Connecticut River Bank (#22), South Parish Unitarian Church(#47), and numerous private residences including #2, #35, #38, #56 and #58.

Perhaps the style most in evidence in the survey area is the Federal style, popular between 1800 and 1830, with both residential and commercial examples surviving. A fine example of the basic house type, two stories tall, set broadside to the street with a five bay facade, hip roof, elaborate fanlit entrance and delicate classical details is the Hall House at 61 Main Street (#55). Of similar massing in brick is the Vryling Lovell House (#40) which is distinguished by an eaves balustrade and end parapet walls with four exterior brick chimneys, a roof treatment seldom seen in the area. Also of special note is the home of local builder Stephen Hassam, constructed by him c. 1800 at 37 Main Street. (#58) In terms of commercial structures, Rick's Electric constructed in 1806 at 72 Main Street (#19) and the former Connecticut River Bank (#22) stand out as excellent federal examples conceived in brick. with typical recessed arches rising the height of the structure, a lunette shaped attic opening in the former and a fanlit entrance in the latter.

The advent of the Greek Revival style in Charlestown and elsewhere in the period prior to the Civil War gave rise to gablefronted structures replacing earlier broadsided buildings. The Sumner House (#56), transitional in style, is notable for combining delicate Federal detailing with the latest Greek Revival inspired gable front and sidehall floor plan. The finest Greek Revival structure in the district is undoubtedly the Holton House (#39) with its distinctive semicircular recessed porch on the second floor of the gablefront, supported by fluted Ionic columns. The former "Bakery Block"/ Post Office (#50), constructed in 1842 is a fine example of the Greek Revival style adapted for commercial purposes. Brick pilaster strips support a simple frieze and pediment ends, meant to evoke a simplified version of the Grecian temple front. The Walker House at 101 Main Street combines some Greek Revival details with handsome stone construction (#46).

The Gothic Revival style, popular from about 1840 to 1890 is well represented by two churches in the district. The brick South Parish Unitarian Church (#47), constructed in 1842 and attributed to local builder Stephen Hassam, is distinguished by delicate wooden tracery around the doorway and elaborate belfry. St. Luke's Episcopal Church (#54), constructed in 1863 and sheathed in board and batten siding is typical of the small country churches popularized by its architect, Richard Upjohn in a widely circulated handbook Upjohn's Rural Architecture. Upjohn (1802-1878) was a prominent New York ecclesiastical architect and Charlestown is privileged to have his only wooden church in the State. It is interesting to note that the church was enlarged in 1869 by his son, moving the nave back 22 feet and building the transepts, tower and steeple. An ambitious project, all the more remarkable for being completed at the end of the Civil War.

Railroad activity added a new dimension to Charlestown in the mid 19th century. There were few roads laid out west of Main Street until after the advent of the railroad in 1848. Railway and Depot Street were laid out in 1853, while Elm Street dates to 1858.

Following a period of building inactivity coinciding with the Civil War, the 1870's and 1880's saw renewed construction in the district. This period is characterized by an increasing range of architectural styles as builders and architects sought to break from accepted classical forms. The construction of the Town Hall (#21) between 1872 and 1873 furnished a new focal point for the Town Center. Stylistically, the structure is a fine, though simplified, example of the Italianate Style (popular 1840-1880) with rusticated brick pilasters and segmented brick lintels which drape over the double arched windows like eyebrows. It was designed by prominent N.H. architect Edward Dow (1820-1894) who grew up in Newport before opening a practice in Concord and designed a town hall for Newport during the same period (destroyed by fire). Chamfered porch posts and brackets, other earmarks of the style appear on many structures in the Town Center and also suggest an Italianate influence.

The French Second Empire style existed concurrently with the Italianate style and often exhibits many similar features, the mansard roof being the foremost distinguishing characteristic. A fine example of this style can be seen in the carriage house at the Olcott House (#36A), a small mansarded frame building decorated by quoins and segmental arch dormer windows.

The general label Queen Anne style can be broadly applied to many late 19th century buildings and is characterized by irregular, asymmetrical facades, adorned by a variety of patterns, colors and projections. The Bond House (#14), elaborated by bay windows, porches and a three story ogee-roofed tower is a good example of the possibilities inherent in this style. A product of this same era, the Stick Style is characterized by the use of clapboards with overlays of vertical, horizontal and diagonal boards meant to evoke the structural frame beneath. St. Catherine's Church (#32) is an excellent example of this style and is also noteworthy for the Tiffany windows contained within. The fanciful carriage house at the rear is unique in the district for its "Eastlake" style detailing, geometric with naturalistic overtones. The Hunt House (#42) and virtually identical Labaree House (#45) also display some stick detailing.

The Silsby Free Library (#49) constructed in 1893-4 represents an important expression of local prosperity and confidence, funded by the will of Col. Ithiel Silsby of Acworth. It is typical of many late 19th century libraries across the country, inspired by the work of Boston architect, H.H. Richardson. As seen in the library, this style known as Richardsonian Romanesque, typically incorporates an asymmetrical profile, contrast between brick and sandstone trimmings, semicircular arched openings and transomed windows. The library was designed by architect C.C. McAlpine of Boston who published his drawings of the building in American Architect and Building News in 1893.

The prevailing vogue for classical forms in the first decades of the 20th century is perhaps best summarized within Charlestown by the unique classically-inspired detailing of Nourse's Pharmacy (#25), built in 1924 and whimsically displaying a cornice, columns, and brightly painted cornucopia in its pediment front

In the 20th century Main Street was transformed by concrete and asphalt paving. In 1907 kerosene lamps which had lit the street since 1875 were replaced with electric lights. Sidewalks in the village date to 1912-1913. An important Charlestown landmark, the Eagle Hotel, constructed in the early 19th century, was destroyed by fire in 1904, its site vacant until the construction of a filling station in 1951. Beginning in 1914 the town appropriated funds for the preservation, renewal and care of the trees in the village although the dense trees once lining the street have all but disappeared, doomed by the effects of winter road salting and Dutch Elm Disease. The advent of the automobile resulted in service stations that weakened the axial effect of Main Street as well as the construction of Bowen's Garage (#26). Beginning in the 1930's and 40's many Main Street structures were covered in synthetic sidings in the name of modernization, lending only a sense of disrepair to the streetscape today. Electric clocks and neon signs, representing the latest in advertising rivalled the attention of the shopper during this era and survive today on the Charlestown Inn and Rick's Electric. (7,10 & #9) During World War II almost every house on Main Street was converted into apartments to house defense workers of the machine tool industry. Some were badly mutilated yet many have been beautifully restored.

Recent years have witnessed further changes in the downtown, accompanied by growing awareness of Charlestown's historic resources. The addition to Silsby Library (#49) erected in 1977 respects and echoes the detailing of the original structure, including repetition of rockfaced belt courses. The Town Hall (#21) is undergoing a long term rehabilitation of which a major portion was completed in 1981. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the only structure in town thus far to have achieved this distinction. Several private rehabilitations have also occurred in recent years. New construction over the past decades includes the High School in 1950 (#33), and the Post office (#27) and Bank (#28) in 1967, all in a "colonial" mode.

Charlestown is fortunate in the wealth of historical resources it retains. While the architectural integrity of some buildings has been compromised by the addition of incompatible design features such as aluminum doors and windows, synthetic sidings, or simple lack of maintenance, these alterations have not been so extensive as to threaten the integrity of the district as a whole.

Properly treated and maintained the historic structures of Charlestown contain tremendous benefit for economic and cultural benefit. Often taken for granted by those who have grown accustomed to its appearance, Main Street presents a strong and attractive historical image to tourists and others passing through town. A unique collection of architectural gems, spanning over two hundred years, Charlestown's Main Street merits inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

FOOTNOTES:
(1) Martha McD. Frizzell, Second History of Charlestown NH. The Old Number Four. (Littleton, NH: Courier Publishing Co., 1955), p. 77.
(2) Ibid, p. 70.
(3) Taped lectures on Charlestown architecture by Livingston Elder, 1980, Charlestown, NH. Tapes property of Janet Hofmeister, Charlestown.

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

American Architect and Building News, v 39, p 62, pl 892, January 28, 1893.[N.H. State Library, Concord, N.H.]

Catalog of Episcopal Churches in New Hampshire. [Unpublished, State Library, Concord.]

"Charlestown's oldest church lines up its 150 year history". Eagle Times, Nov. 3,1985.

Elder, Livingston. Taped lectures on Charlestown architecture, 1980 [Tapes property of Janet Hofmeister, Charlestown].

Frizzell. Martha McD. Second History of Charlestown. N.H.. The Old Number Four. Littleton, N.H.. Courier Publishing Co, 1955.

Tolles, Bryant, Jr. New Hampshire Architecture: An Illustrated Guide. Hanover: University Press, 1979.

Also: Paintings of Charlestown Buildings by Maud Prouty c. 1940-1970, with accompanying text, on display at Silsby Library, Charlestown, NH.

FORM PREPARED BY: Lisa Mausolf, Historic Preservation Specialist, Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Council, 314 First NH Bank Building, Lebanon, NH 03766. Tel: 603-448-1680. Date: September 1986.

DATE ENTERED: June 10, 1987.
(Source 27)