State Register of Historic Places 2019

Preface: "The Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) was established in 1963 to encourage the preservation of the historic buildings, structures, objects, landscapes and archaeological sites that contribute to the cultural heritage of the Commonwealth's cities and towns. These unique and non-renewable historic resources help to maintain a sense of place and time in our downtowns, neighborhoods, town centers and rural landscapes. They inform our understanding of the past, and through their maintenance, rehabilitation and reuse, they will continue to play a role in shaping vital and dynamic communities into the future. Historic preservation is integral to protecting the qualities of community character that make Massachusetts an attractive place for visitors and residents alike. The conservation of historic and archaeological properties is a legitimate concern of public policy and has been recognized as such by a full body of state and federal legislation. MHC's programs seek to integrate a systematic consideration of historic properties into current management and planning decisions. The State Register of Historic Places was created in 1982 to enhance MHC's ability to identify, evaluate, and protect the Commonwealth's historic and archaeological resources. The State Register creates a single, easy-to-use master list of properties designated under several specific local, state, and federal statutes. It supports a comprehensive and timely system of review for state governmental bodies whose actions may affect designated properties, providing a clear framework to ensure that the Commonwealth's cultural heritage is not inadvertently damaged by public action. The regulations that protect properties listed in the State Register are cited as 950 CMR 71.00." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Massachusetts Historical Commission administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P20AF0006).