Northborough Historical Society - Northborough, MA
Posted by: neoc1
N 42° 19.182 W 071° 38.334
19T E 282542 N 4688645
The headquarters of the Northborough Historical Society is located in the former First Baptist Church at 52 Main Street in Northborough, MA.
Waymark Code: WM16HDE
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 08/04/2022
Views: 1
The headquarters of the Northborough Historical Society is located in the former First Baptist Church of Northborough which was built in 1860 to serve a Baptist congregation that was formed in 1827.
The Italianate style First Baptist Church of Northborough was the second Baptist church on this site. In 1948 the congregation merged with the Trinity Congregational Church in Northborough and uses the church building of Trinity Church. The building was put up for sale in 1959 and was acquired by the Northborough Historical Society in 1960 who operates the building as a museum. Link
The building has a projecting entrance with a gable roof. Steps lead up to a central entrance which is framed by a rounded arch. Above the entrance and beneath a window frame with a rounded top is a sign which is inscribed:
EST. NORTHBOROUGH 1906
HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The front of the main block has 3 by 6 pane double hung windows on each side. The sides of the building have three 4 by 6 pane double hung windows on the upper level and 4 by 4 pane double hung windows at the lower level. The west side has an auxiliary entrance at the first bay. The west side has a one story high attachment with a slanted roof at the northwest corner.
The Northborough Historical Society was founded in 1906 by the Reverend Josiah C. Kent. He stated that "The facts of Northborough history should be collected and thus preserved from oblivion, and that is what we have been doing ever since". Link
The museum and archives are open to the public. They also offer programs that highlight the local, regional and national history of Northborough.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.