Florence Street 4.pdf
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form. FORM B − BUILDING MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS 02125 Photograph Topographic or Assessor's Map Recorded by: Bonnie Parsons Organization: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Date (month /year):
March, 2010 Assessor’s Number USGS Quad Area(s) Form Number 10B-104-001 Easthampton NTH.23 Town: Northampton Place: (neighborhood or village) Address: 4 Florence Street (formerly called
Grove Hill) Historic Name: Colonel James Shepherd House Uses: Present: Four-family residence Original: single-family residence Date of Construction: 1812-1825 Source: The Northampton
Book, P. 353 Style/Form: Greek Revival Architect/Builder: Exterior Material: Foundation: stone Wall/Trim: vinyl Roof: asphalt shingles Outbuildings/Secondary Structures: Major Alterations
(with dates): Siding added, bay window removed, some windows replaced, ca. 2000. Condition: good Moved: no | x | yes | | Date Acreage: 0.549 acres Setting: Set on a promontory in a wooded
area.
INVENTORY FORMB CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [GROVE HILL-OFF FLORENCE & FRONT ST.] MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No. 220MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS
02125 Continuation sheet 1 NTH.23 ___ Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. If checked, you must attach a completed National Register Criteria Statement
form. Use as much space as necessary to complete the following entries, allowing text to flow onto additional continuation sheets. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION: Describe architectural features.
Evaluate the characteristics of this building in terms of other buildings within the community. The Shepherd House is a two-and-a-half story house under a front-gable roof, oriented
to the south and overlooking the village of Leeds originally, now with its entry shifted to the west, it is viewed from Grove Hill as a side-gable house. The south façade is three bays
wide and its eaves make returns to form a pediment above a side-hall entry. This is a Greek Revival style elevation that would not have appeared until after 1820, although the house
has previously been dated 1812. The west elevation is six bays wide with its entry beneath a portico on posts in the fourth bay, an elevation that would not have been chosen in 1812.
So, this house in style does not match up to its history and should be further researched. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Discuss the history of the building. Explain its associations with local
(or state) history. Include uses of the building, and the role(s) the owners/occupants played within the community. From Form B of 1975: “Reputed to be the second oldest house in Leeds,
the Shepherd house was built in 1812 by Colonel James Shepherd. Shepherd was responsible for the early growth of industry in Leeds, erecting the first cotton mill in the village in 1809.
James, Thomas, and Charles Shepherd carried on manufacture of cotton and wool from that time through mid-century, at which time the silk industry and button industry surpassed spinning
and weaving in the valley. The Shepherd House on Grove Hill overlooked the cluster of factory structures and worker’s boardinghouses grouped on the banks of the Mill River. In addition
to the Shepherd concern, the Mill River Button Company and the Nonotuck Silk Company owned factory property in the heart of Leeds village. These industries came later, however, and the
economic effects of their operation were not considerable until later in the nineteenth century. At one period, in fact, lack of population and activity in Leeds resulted in the closing
of the Post office in the village. The Shepherd concern prospered as a result of the ingenuity of its owners. Like many early industrialists, the Shepherds relied somewhat on European
skill and industrial techniques. The family experimented with importation of several breeds of sheep in an effort to improve the quality of wool available for spinning. The brothers
also experimented with power looms soon after the first patent for a power loom for woolen goods was granted in 1816 to two Taunton men.” BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES Beers, F. W.
County Atlas of Hampshire Massachusetts, New York, 1873. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town or Northampton in the County of Hampshire, 1831. Miller, D. L. Atlas of the City of Northampton
and Town of Easthampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, 1895. Walker, George H. and Company. Atlas of Northampton City, Massachusetts, Boston, 1884. Walling, Henry F.
Map of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, New York, 1860.