Westminster Village-Academy Hill Historic District - Westminster, MA
N 42° 32.505 W 071° 54.378
19T E 261350 N 4714023
As indicated by its name, the Westminster Village-Academy Hill Historic District represents two different areas within this town that are connected by Academy Hill Road. The posted coordinates are for the old Town Common located on Academy Hill.
Waymark Code: WMA418
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2010
Views: 8
From
Wikipedia:
"Westminster Village-Academy Hill Historic District is a historic district on Bacon, Adams, Main, Dawley, Academy Hill, Leominster, and Pleasant Streets in Westminster, Massachusetts.
The district was founded in 1734 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983."
From the 2006 Westminster Reconnaissance Report:
"Academy Hill rises from Main Street/South Street/Bacon Street and is the site of the first town center at the top of the hill with the meetinghouse site, town pound and some early dwellings arranged around the Town Common. Westminster Village at the bottom of Academy Hill is the present linear town center along East and West Main Street and Bacon Street where the 1839 Town Hall is located. In between these two areas are the 1912 Upton School (now vacant) and the modern Westminster Elementary School adjacent to it. The two areas and the link (Academy Hill Road) are listed in the National Register as one district; the Westminster Village – Academy Hill Historic District.
Many historic dwellings, ranging from the 1793 Silas Beaman House – Emerson Tavern to the ca. 1890 Merriam House tell of the development of Westminster’s center along with the 1822 Universalist Church (later the American Legion), the 1865 Baptist Church, the Town Hall, the 1901 Classical Revival Forbush Memorial Library and many markers recalling the local history. One of Westminster’s most significant industrial structures is a feature of the village – the Westminster Cracker Company, which has recently been rehabilitated with close attention to its historic and architectural integrity.
These two areas consolidate the civic history of Westminster; however the planning issues are slightly different. Academy Hill retains high integrity and has seemingly few vulnerabilities. It has a magnificent vista of Wachusett Mountain from the 1815 Rev. Cyrus Mann House and a quiet setting around the Town Common with no traffic issues. (This is the view on the town seal.)
Westminster Village, on the other hand, is on a main route that is heavily traveled, with building reuse and rehabilitation concerns and related parking issues. Several municipal properties are in transition including the Upton School, the Town Hall and the American Legion Hall (the old Universalist Church building)."