Historic Main Street, Upton

Step into the 19th century as you walk along historic Main Street in Upton, Massachusetts. The street is lined with Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Italianate and Second Empire homes among others. The large homes boast of more prosperous industrial-era times in this now sleepy suburban town.

Historic North Street, Grafton

Historic North Street in Grafton, Massachusetts is lined with antique homes giving it the feel of yesteryear. North Street is located in the Grafton Center historic district.  The houses range in age from 1734 to early twentieth century.

The Kimball - Warren house, circa 1830

The Joel Drake House, circa 1815

The Heywood House, circa 1790

The Jonas H. Chickering House, circa 1874

The Capt. Jonathan Warren House, circa 1827

The Hannah Aldrich House, circa 1835

The George Clapp House, circa 1832

The Holbrook House, circa 1810

The Swinn House, circa 1929

Historic Washington Street, Holliston

I can't say for sure that Holliston has the most historic homes of any town in Massachusetts but it sure ranks pretty close to the top. Holliston has uniquely preserved most of the historic homes that line its main thoroughfare, Washington Street, in a time when most towns demolish or relocate downtown historical buildings. You can start in west Holliston and drive east the whole way along Washington Street and see historic homes nearly the entire time.  The odd split-level or ranch looks out of place amongst the graceful detail and character of older homes. Take a virtual tour to enjoy its historic homes and plan for the day when you can see them in person.

The homes in this virtual represent only a mile or so of Washington Street west of downtown.  The homes in the center of town and to the east will have to be represented in a later post. Click each photo to view a larger image.

Historic South Street, Grafton, MA

Driving through Grafton, Massachusetts you get the sense that they have the best of both worlds. The community has many lovely new developments yet there is an extraordinarily well preserved historic area. They seemed to have discovered that the two communities are not exclusive of each other and can live in harmony side by side. For this (and many other reasons) Grafton makes a great place to live.

Wandering the streets around the Grafton Common, you will revel in the abundance of beautiful, cared-for historic homes. South Street in Grafton, just off of the common, is one of the most scenic and pleasant streets in town. Here's a virtual tour for you to enjoy!

(Click photos to make them larger)

Photo Credit: Marian Pierre-Louis, April 2012

Historic Main Street, Medfield

Medfield, Massachusetts is blessed to have a wealth of beautiful historic homes. There are numerous neighborhoods within the town that shine with the character of graceful historic homes full of character. The homes featured here are only some of the historic homes on Main Street. They reflect those found just east of the center of town out as far as the Peak House. Medfield has one of the loveliest downtown areas to drive or stroll through in all of Metrowest Boston.

Enjoy the tour!

The David Fairbanks House

The Timothy Cheney / Bradford Curtis House

The Daniel Clark Sanders House

The Noah Daniels / Robert Roberts House

The George Metcalf Smith House

The John N. Wills House

The Clark Tavern

The Peak House, open to visitors during the summer,
was built in the early 1700s

Historic Village Street, Medway

Most New England towns have at least one or two streets that evoke the quintessentially quaint historic feel of yesteryear. One of those streets in Medway, Massachusetts is Village Street. This street starts at the corner of Main Street just past the Medway/Bellingham border. The street runs for three or four miles in an easterly direction across the length of Medway. It continues on through part of Millis until it reconnects with Main Street in that town.

According to former Medway town historian, Francis Donovan, the road has been known as The Road to the Wilderness, The Old County Road, The Middle Post Road, and now as Village Street. The road was originally laid out in 1670 and is home to many beautiful old houses today.  The oldest house still standing on Village Street and dating to 1770,is at the corner of Village and Lovers Lane but has seen many changes and additions over the years. Another comparable house is the Major Luther Metcalf House which dates to 1792. Part of Village Street near Town Hall is contained in the Medway Village Historic District which is honored as part of the National Register of Historic Places.

 Enjoy this virtual tour of Village Street, Medway.