Petersham was first settled in 1733. It was the second battle site for Shaw's Rebellion, an uprising by the citizens of Massachusetts against the State for imposing additional taxes to pay for States debt problems. Sound familiar, some things don't change. The town borders the Quabbin Reservoir. There are no interstates, airports, or mass transit in Petersham, so it remains very much like it was in the late 1700's thru 1900's. The homes, churches and businesses are primarily on Common St. and extending North and South on Main St.
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| Map of Petersham Common Historic District |
This was a hotel at one point and then turned into a girls Catholic School. I spoke with one of the folks from the historical society and apparently the hotel was bought by this guy who was going to turn in into an inn and restaurant specializing in wines. He was recently divorced and bought this with his girlfriend. Subsequently the girlfriend took off and the plans for the restoration flew the coop as well.
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| Nichewaug Hotel - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA |
Government and Commerce Buildings
The Town Hall is a replica of the previous TH called the Bosworth Building. The Bosworth was built in 1850 and burned to the ground in 1957
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| Town Hall |
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| Town Hall |
Hutchinson General Store opened in 1840 and has been a General Store since it's opening.
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| Greek Revival building that has served as a general store grange, hat factory and apartments. Built in 1840 it is a classic Greek Revival building. Has been a general store since its opening in 1840. |
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| Petersham Memorial Library - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic Library built 1890. Architect was Edmund Wilson. |
Not all of the buildings are elaborate
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| Brick building built in 1848. Building has served as a barber shop, business office, grange, library, meeting hall, post office and public school over its course. |
The Churches
I get a kick out of the separate entrances, mens and womens, which was fairly typical for the era. Unitarians believe in "free and responsible search for truth'. The are not Trintarian, which means they believe in God, but not the Trinity. The Congregationalists were a form of Protestants widely established by the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies in Massachusetts. Each church runs their own affairs versus those forms of religion with a highly organized central church. At least that is my interpretation. Actually this period gets really interesting with the Baptist, Methodists, Congregationalists and Unitarians. It just may be why our New England towns have so many churches.
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| Petersham Unitarian Church - Petersham MA Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Built in 1910 due to the burning down of the previous church on this site. |
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| Petersham Orthodox Congregational Church - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic church built in 1829. |
The Houses
The houses of Petersham has quite a few examples of Greek Revival architecture. The fluted columns, ornate entrances, and detail around the windows is really quite stunning. The older homes, the ones built in the late 1700's are not as elaborate, but still are a pleasure to look at.
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| Wadsworth, Col. Welcome House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA. Historic home built in 1830. |
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| Taylor, Dr. Samuel House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic home built in 1842. |
I find this house absolutely spectacular
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| Taylor, Dr. Samuel House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Built in 1842 |
A couple of the 1700 homes
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| Peckham, William House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic home built in 1768 |
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| Peckham, Josiah House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic home built in 1790. |
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| Bigelow, Daniel House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Historic home built in 1780. Stunning Federal home painted a rose color with blue shutters that really makes this home stand out. Daniel Bigelow was prominent physician from Columbus, Ohio. |
A couple more Greek Rival homes
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| Hamilton, Benjamin F. House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Built 1838 |
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| Brooks, Aaron House - Petersham Common Historic District - Petersham MA Built 1842 |
That completes my tour of Petersham. There are many more homes, but this gives you a taste of what the town is like. It is worthwhile to take a ride and walk around the town, enjoy the park, and the buildings.
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