Thayer - Metcalf House 9 Main St - Mendon Center Historic District - Mendon MA - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

#9 Main Street is a drastically altered, 3-story, hip-roofed Federal house of considerable size. This house's form, window and door openings and fabric have been greatly altered.

#9 Main Street, although changed over time, has significant historical associations with prominent 19th c. Mendon figures. It was the home/office of at least two town doctors and was the residence of an important mid-19th c. southeastern Massachusetts preacher. It waa built ca. 1800-1820, possibly for Dr. Alexander Thayer, the house's first known occupant.Dr. Thayer died at age 47 ca. mid-1820s. His practice was taken up by John G. Metcalf. (Dr. Thayer) was a descendant of Ferdinando Thayer, one of Mendon's first seven families who came from Weymouth to settle in Mendon in the spring of 1663.

Dr. Metcalf lived at #9 Main Street briefly (he is listed here in 1831) before moving into his own house at 3 Main Street. Dr. Metcalf was Mendon's mid-19th c. "Rennaissance Man" in addition to performing his medical work as the town's physician/surgeon. He was also a town official, an agriculturist, amateur architect (he provided the plans for Harrison Hall, Mendon's Town Ball( 1840s,), and was a local historian with an impressive private library which he shared with the townspeople.

During the 1830s, #9 Main Street served as a parsonage for the South Parish Church (Unitarian) during the pastorate of important southeastern religious figure Adin Ballou. He was the ninth minister of the South Parish, commencing his ministry in Feburary, 1831. For some years earlier, he had been the minister of the Uniersalist Society in Milford. He published the Independent Messenger, an influential Christian newspaper from #9 Main Street during the 1830s. This newspaper was ,"devoted to the maintainance and propagation of liberal views of Christianity." Evidently, the publication of this newspaper in Mendon was short-lived as "upon comming to Mendon [meaning Ballou] the paper was removed and during its continuance, was printed by George W. Stacy of Milford. During his pastorate in Mendon, Ballou published an address on the subject of slavery which was widely admired and published in England as well as the U.S. Ballou left Mendon in 1842 to form a religious community in what is now Hopedale (incorp. 1886). Ballou's Hopedale community is said to be the first utiopian enterprise in the United States— Brook Farm, Fruitlands and the Oneida Community were all later than Adin Ballou's religious community.

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Mendon Center Historic District Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link] Address: 9 Main St How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Other (Please explain in the Private Message field) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]

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