National Register

National Register of Historic Places for Northborough Massachusetts

The National Register is the nation’s official list of historical assets (buildings, districts, sites, structures and objects) important in American history, culture, architecture, or archaeology. The register is administered through the Massachusetts Historical Commission on behalf of the National Park Service.

Listing on the National Register affords a property a high level of recognition of its significance, and may make it eligible for preservation-related grant funds, investment tax credits, and/or preservation easements. In addition, under provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act, undertakings involving federal funds or approval must “take into account” their effects on such properties, usually resulting in avoidance of impacts or programs to mitigate adverse effects; and Chapter 254 of the General Laws of Massachusetts provides similar review for state funded or approved projects.

More information regarding the National Register can be found at:

The National Register: www.nps.gov/history/NR/

The Mass. Historical Comm.: www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcnat/natidx.htm

As part of the recent town historical inventory, the contractors reviewed each asset for potential inclusion into the National Historic Register. They identified 23 individual assets and 8 districts which should be considered for nomination to the national register. Table 1 below contains the recommended individual assets and Table 2 contains the recommended districts.

It is likely that there are additional assets which could be considered for nomination. The contractors did their best with the information they had, but a home owner may have additional information that could make their property a potential for the National Register. One example that comes to mind is the Wood-Blair homestead at 97 Main Street which has historical links to the revolutionary war and the invention of photography.

It should be noted that Northborough currently has several assets listed in the National Historic Register. They are:

The stone Boston Post Road mile marker on East Main Street (NBO.908 and NBO.916)

The Wachusett Aqueduct System (NBO.H and NBO.I)

Buildings, structures and agricultural lands located on the Westborough State Hospital property that resides within the Town of Northborough (NBO.J)

A fourth asset was the old Town Hall that burned down in the mid 1980’s

Table 1:

Individual Assets Identified for Potential National Historic Registration

Table 2:

Districts Identified for Potential National Historic Registration