152 Island Road
Follow Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey Manual instructions for completing this form.
FORM B − BUILDING
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
MASSACHUSETTS ARCHIVES BUILDING
220 MORRISSEY 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
46-41 Easthampton NTH.1105
Town: Northampton
Place: (neighborhood or village)
Address: 152 Island Road
Historic Name: George L. Wright House
Uses: Present: Single-family residence
Original: Single-family residence
Date of Construction: c. 1860
Source: Maps & visual evidence
Style/Form: no style; altered form
Architect/Builder:
Exterior Material:
Foundation: brick, concrete
Wall/Trim: vinyl
Roof: asphalt shingles
Outbuildings/Secondary Structures:
Two garages, shed.
Major Alterations (with dates):
Roof raised, ell added, sided and all windows replaced by
vinyl, porch extended, post 1980.
Condition: good
Moved: no | x | yes | | Date
Acreage: 3.341 acres
Setting: This is an east-facing house that sits on a large
lot with apple trees to the south.
INVENTORY FORM B CONTINUATION SHEET [NORTHAMPTON ] [152 ISLAND ROAD]
MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION Area(s) Form No.
220 MORRISSEY BOULEVARD, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02125
Continuation sheet 1
NTH.1105
___ 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.
This house has been so altered that its original appearance has been lost since 1980. It is one-and-a-half stories in height under
a front-gable roof. It has a two-story addition on the west that rises above the original roofline. The south elevation of the roof of
the main block of the house has been raised so that the roof is no longer symmetrical. The windows have been re-sized and
replaced and the house vinyl-sided. The porch that formerly crossed the east façade has been extended to the south façade as
well and placed on a concrete foundation.
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 1980: “This small cottage first appears on the 1860 map as the property of George L. Wright. Mr. Wright was a
farmer and owned a fair amount of acreage on what was then known as Hockanum Island. Originally, this area had been part of
Hadley, but in 1840, flood waters of the Connecticut River cut through the slender neck of the Ox Bow and made this an island
on the western side of the river. Through a silting process and the construction of earthworks for the Connecticut River Railroad,
this island became connected to Northampton at its northeasterly end. The 1860 map shows two houses within the Ox Bow,
both owned by farmers taking advantage of the rich soil.”
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.