Historical Sites Slideshow

Richards Memorial Library c1894, 118 North Washington St.

In Memory of Edmund Ira Richards and Lucy M. Richards  Erected by their children MDCCCXCIV

E. Ira Richards tomb, Mt. Hope Cemetery

Woodcock Garrison House, c1730 (rear part of foundation is 8 ft. thick stone ender. It was the Post Office, c1790-1837. The original garrison was built in 1670 by John Woodcock as a public house.

Woodcock Garrison House, c1730

Woodcock Garrison Burial Grounds (Cemetery), c1676, North Washington St. Stones dated 1723-1825. Woodcock’s son, Nathaniel who was beheaded by Indians is buried here. Woodcock became know for his exploits against the Indians. After 1769, the burial ground was connected with the Baptist Church. Col. Israel Hatch and William Blackinton donated land for the Baptist Church. In the background is the Adamsdale School, c1850.

Old Powder House c1768. This building was for “keeping the town stock of ammunition.” Bricks were probably made from clay bank on Seven Mile River. N.A. Historical society restored the building in 1965. 1976, the town put in a parking lot.

Bridge at Allen Ave and Old Post Road. This is a granite slab bridge. This is the site of mills since 1815 (cotton, button and jewelry.) There was a water well until 1890s. 1890s-1930s Oldtown Ice Co. was here and the pond was used for cutting ice.

Old Post Road farm, c1800-1821. This was a 34-acre farm. The clapboards were covered with asphalt shingles.

First Congregational Church, c1828, 675 Old Post Road. The church was organized in 1712.

Oldtown School House, c1832, Old Post Road. In 1804 the town gave its districts responsibility to raise money to build schools. Attleborough Agricultural Society shared construction costs. It was used until 1938. North Attleborough has several of these old schoolhouses.

Falls Factory, c1831, 426 Mt. Hope St. This early 19^th century textile mill was founded by members of the Bliss family. In 1865s-1890s it was home to Gold Medal Braid Co., manufacturers of wool, cotton, and silk braids. Water power was available 10 months a year with supplemental steam power.

Baptist Meetinghouse, c1817, Park and North Washington St. The church was updated in the 1850s with brackets. It was founded in 1769. Civil War soldiers drilled on the Common.

Col. Obed Robinson House, 161 Commonwealth Ave., c1806. Now Dyer-Lake Funeral Home. The first button company in the U.S. was here. The house stayed in the Robinson family until 1960s.

Freeman’s Factory, c1858, Robinson Street. This was a 19^th century jewelry factory on the Ten Mile River. It is one of the few remaining wood frame industrial buildings, though it has been re-sided. Freeman and Brothers manufacturers were one of the first to produce curb chain.         

Manufacturer’s National Bank Building, c1858, 67 North Washington St. This bank gave Bank Street its name. Manufacturer’s National Bank moved to 67 N. Washington. Attleborough Savings Bank moved to 48 North Washington and has since become TD North.

Gasometer, c1855. This is the site of the gas generating plant at Attleborough Falls. 1 of 3 such structures in the state. 35 ft. in diameter by 35 ft. high.

Old railroad bed near Roosevelt School. Railroad came to North Attleborough in 1871.

Trestle at Cushman Rd.

Odd Fellows Building, c1874-75, 32 North Washington St. In 1881 the building was home to cigar dealer, billiard hall, boot and shoe dealer, dry goods, engraver, dentist, hairdresser and lawyer. In 1891 there were musical instruments and a dentist.

Odd Fellows Building, c1874-75, close-up of door

Whiting Factory, c1876, 262 Broad St. One of No. Attleborough’s largest 19^th century producers of silver goods since 1809 was on this site. Also produced cotton yarn.

Whiting Pond. Home of the Water Co. in 1883.

St. Mary’s Church, c1888-1901. Park Street. This Victorian Gothic sandstone trim church served a large Irish population during late 19^th and early 20^thcentury.

The Trolley came to North Attleboro in 1891-1930s. Old Post Road had 43 house lots sold one year after the trolley line. 1^st house built in 30 years. Old Town became a streetcar suburb. Fuller house, c1914, was built on land of former Stanley farm. The service ended in 1932. 

Fire Station, c1893 on Commonwealth Avenue. There was a horse-drawn hose wagon. “Hose no. 2 Falls Station.” Now known as the Falls Fire Barn and houses the Historical Museum.

G.K. Webster Factory, c1898. This was a jewelry factory near the railroad.

Barrows Co., c1906, 102 South Washington St. This was a jewelry factory. It has been renovated as the new Police Station.

Manufacturers’ Building, c1907 at 64 Elm Street. This jewelry factory was occupied by a variety of small jewelry manufacturing companies.

Badaracco Building, c1891-1909 at 6 South Washington St. On the 1^st floor were businesses, 2^nd floor, offices; 3^rd floor, dance hall. Gus Badaracco reputedly owned a produce store on Washington St. south of the building.

Sacred Heart Church, c1909. This church was built to serve 260 French Canadian families. The upper section was completed in 1929 by contractor James Munroe. The plaster and marble were done by M.O. Trottier of Providence.  The steeple and bell tower were razed in 1981 because of dry rot and powder post beetles. The school opened in 1923.

John Woodcock School, c1910. May have been designed by the same firm as the library. 

High School, c1918, South Washington St. After it was the high school, it became the junior high and is now the Community School.

North Attleboro’s first separate Post Office, c1916, 30 South Washington St.;  Telephone Building, c1906, 38 South Washington St.; Masonic Temple, c1927, 36 South Washington St. The telephone building was used as a telephone center until 1956.           

On the side is The Bristol Lodge, instituted in 1797. Its original building burned in 1914. G.K. Webster donated the land for the current Masonic Temple.

42 Arnold St., c1918. Site of a Neighborhood grocery store.

Wright Chevrolet Co., c1930s. An early auto showroom.

Hotel Hixon, c1928, 85 North Washington St. There was a town-wide celebration when the hotel opened. When Route 1 opened in 1930, it bypassed the hotel which failed in 1933. In 1962, the Catholic Diocese of Fall River bought the building for a nursing home, Madonna Manor.

Emerald Square Mall on Rt. 1 opened officially August 10, 1989. The mall took almost ten years from planning to completion. At the time, the mall was anticipated to be the town's largest taxpayer.

Emerald Square Mall, crossover bridge to Macy's which at one time was G. Fox and Filene's.

Town Hall, dedicated September 24, 1978. It took almost 25 years of Town Meetings to decide on a Town Hall. (NA: Then and Now)

Ira Richards' House, 240 Elm Street, c1849-1860. Ira Richards started with $2000 in 1834 and in 5 months had ten times as much. The woodcarving on the house is really terra cotta. Josiah D. Richards died here in a gun accident at the age of 77.

Greek revival worker’s cottage,178 South Washington St., c1850s.  Jesse F. Richards owned this house in 1880 but it was occupied by William Brennan, a blacksmith.

Mrs. Merritt’s house, 10 Foster Street, is a lacy Greek revival. Mr. Merritt was a co-owner of H.D. Merritt & Co. This house was probably a wedding gift for his daughter Clara built prior to 1878.

Carpenter Gothic on Elm St. 

76 Bank St., c1875. The Morse family, who built the house, donated land across the street for school.

Towne St. workers’ housing

157-159 Elm St., c1840s. Richard’s workers’ housing

Benjamin Stanley House, 66 Stanley St., c1883. Benjamin Stanley of Stanley Brothers jewelry manufacturers had this house built. Their shop was at the Falls.

William E. Smith House, 224 South Washington St., c1886. This is built in the Queen Anne/Stick style for William Smith, a jeweler with the T. G. Frothingtham Co. A playhouse at the top story of the house was built for his niece.The North Attleborough Historical Society had its headquarters here.

Nellie Mason House, 238 South Washington St., c1887. William Smith built this house for his daughter Gertrude as a wedding gift upon her marriage to Elton B. Fisher. The house was owned by Mrs. Charles O. Mason (Ellen L.), the widow of one of the founders of Mason Box. Jewelry barons also invested in speculative housing (eg. Row of houses opposite old police station.)

F.L. Burden House, c1888-1890. Gargoyles blew off the chimneys during the 1938 hurricane.

Kelly Blvd, c1718. There is a granite hitching post here.

Blackinton House, c1850s, 132 North Washington St. Blackinton was originally from Marblehead, MA. When the house was built in the 1850s, a barbershop was located on this property.