Built 1751 NRHP Reference # 01001236 Area 69 ha | Architect multiple Opened 1751 Added to NRHP 16 November 2001 | |
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Architectural style Colonial, Greek Revival | ||
The Montague Center Historic District encompasses the well-preserved 19th century village center of Montague, Massachusetts. Montague Center, one of the town's five villages, is the civic heart of the town, and was also an active industrial area in the 19th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Description and history
Montague Center is located in the central-southern part of Montague, with the Saw Mill River flowing generally westward on the north and east sides of the village. Main Street runs through the village with a major westward jog deviating from its generally northerly track. The east-west portion of this jog has a triangular green at its eastern end, with Center Street running eastward and North Street running north. In this triangular green is a box with several 18th-century signs giving directions to nearby towns. At the western end of the jog School Street enters from the south, and Court Square from the west.
Montague Center first took shape in the 19th century as the site of an early gristmill and the intersection of two east-west and north-south roads. Main Street is where the most significant buildings in the village lie, along with North and Center Streets, which line the town common. A school and two churches from the 1830s flank the common, as does the 1858 town hall. The oldest building in the district is a tavern that dates to about 1734. The district also includes the Alvah Stone Mill, now known as the Bookmill, separately listed on the National Register; it is located just north of the Saw Mill River.