Comstock, W. H. House - Mendon Center Historic District - Mendon MA - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

The WH Comstock home was once located at 1 Hastings St. This was directly across from Founder's Park and catty corner from Ammidon Tavern. The house was moved to make way for commercial development of the intersections of North, Main, Hasting and Milford St. It was moved to it's current location at 26 North St. Within the last 3 years of this writing (May 2013) the Charles River Bank has been built to occupy the land where this house was originally located at 1 Hasting St.

26 North St is the home of Webster H. Comstock. His son Webster H. Comstock Jr . owned a large boot factory which was located to the rear of this house. W. H. Comstock was one of Mendon's first boot factory operators. Along with a Leland and Dennis Eames he was conducting a boot manufacturing concern before 1850. The "golden age" of boot manufacturing in Mendon occurred between 1845 and 1878 with the last boot factory ceasing operations as late as 1888. #1 Hastings Street (now 26 North St) was owned by the Comstocks until at least 1898.


W. H. Comstock home is significant as one of Mendon's most stylish and substantial Italianate houses. It s corners are boldly accented with wide panneled corner boards. Particularly noteworthy are the scroll bracketed porch with champfered posts, the west wall's panneled and dentillated octagonal bay, and dentillated cornice. This house possesses a hip block form. It's 3x 2 bay main block has a center hall plan. It s main facade is clad with clapboards. It's side and rear facades are similarly treated. It s windows contain 2/2 wood sash. This house rises 2 stories from a stone basement to an asbestos shingle covered hip roof with a later rubble stone and brick chimney at the south wall.

This house provides a physical link documenting Mendon during the period 1830-1870. This period in the town's history was characterized by continued population growth asa by-product of industrialization industry. Boot and shoemaking and woodworking-related trades dominated Mendon's economic activitie s through the 1870s.

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: Located at 26 North St, but was once located at 1 Hasting 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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