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591 Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts

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591 Massachusetts Historical Commission Massachusetts FORM A - AREA Assessor's Sheets USGS Quad Area Letter Form Numbers in Area J3/49 & Maynard 589 - 591 Massachusetts Historical Commission J3/56 Massachusetts Archives Building 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, Massachusetts 02125 Town: Acton Place (neighborhood or village): Name of Area: American Powder Mill Present Use: Commercial Construction Dates or Periods: Between 1856 and 1875 Overall Condition: Fair Major Intrusions and Alterations: Window and door openings changed. Artificial siding applied. Acreage: .83 Acres; 36,155 SF Recorded by: Dianne L. Siergiej Organization: Acton Historical Commission Sketch Map Date: October 2009 ^ N AREA FORM American Powder Mill ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION See continuation sheet. Describe architectural, structural and landscape features an d evalua te in terms of other buildings within the community. Although subjected to significant alterations in being adapted to new uses, the industrial identity of this 2-story, shallow gable-roofed, long, rectangular-plan building at 50 Powder Mill Road, once part of the American Powder Mills, is still obvious. The 100' historic portion of the mill appears to be comprised of two separate sections, 60' on the weste rn end and 40' on the eastern end, to w hich the 20' x 30' mod ern, shed-roofe d section has been a dded. A 16' x 10', enclosed p orch is located on the northeast corner of the building. Wall and eaves detail has been covered with the application of vinyl siding on three elevations, but clapboard siding with end boards remains exposed on the river (north) elevation. An exterior, almost free-standing, brick chimney stands on the north elevation. Fenestration varies with location. Some 6/6, double-hung sash windows with shaped lintels remain on the north elevation, but 1/1, double-hung sash, replacem ent window s, often with 8/8 grills, have been installed on other elevations. Paired windows, a modern, 12-pane, picture window and vinyl shutters have been installed on the facade where modern French doors are used in the main entrance. Also o n site is a small, 1-story , 2 x 2-bay, 24' x 22 ', mansard-roo fed building, 56 Powder Mill Road, with a 1-story, 24' x 12', shed-roofed, rear section which was used to mix and test powder. Also somewhat altered, it retains much of its original appearance. The poured concrete foundation suggests it may have been moved. Members of the Acton H istorical Com mission have indicated the building was m oved from the river bank. W all detail includes clapboard siding, end boards and water table. The concave Mansard roof has asphalt shingles. Eaves detail includes a boxed molded cornice and plain frieze. Italianate brackets have been lost . Fenestration primarily consists of 1/1, double-hung sash, replacement windows with snap-in grids and plain trim. Small, paired windows exist on the rear (north) elevation. Paired windows in the westernmost bay of the facade have been installed in place of a fixed-pane, picture window added before 1968. The main entry consists of a single, French door surmounted by a small, gable-roofed hood supported by diagonal braces. This replacement hood is modeled on one show n in a 1968 photograph, but not likely historical. Across the street at 37 Powder Mill Road is the former Office Building of the Am erican Powder M ills. Significantly altered and enlarged over time, the original configuration of the building can be discerned in the pyramidical-roofed section at the corner of Sudbury Road and Powder Mill Road. Most original detail has been lost to the application of vinyl siding and the installation of replacement windows and doors. A half-round dormer remains in the facade (north) slope of the roof. HISTORICAL NARRATIVE X See continuation sheet. Explain the historical development of the area. Discuss how this area relates to the historical development of the community. These buildings are remnants of the once expansive, complex of the American Powder Mills, manufacturer of gun powder, which gave rise to the name Powder M ill Village for the area. The large, rectangular, mill 50 Powder Mill Road, was used as a carpentry and tin sh op. The small, ma nsard-roofed building, 56 Powder Mill Road, was used to mix and test powder. Members of the Acton Historical Commission have indicated it was one of the buildings located near the riverbank from which location it was moved. The gun powder mills on the Assabet River in the extreme southeast corner of Acton at its juncture with the Towns of Sudbury, Maynard and Concord were begun in 1835 by Nathan Pratt who built the dam and operated the mills until 1864. He sold the property to the American Powder Com pany which was incorporated the sam e year in a merger with the Massachusetts Powder Mills of Barre, Massachusetts. The facility grew, expanding into the adjoining towns of Sudbury, Concord and Maynard to eventually include an area of more than 400 acres. In 1883, the company became the Am erican Powder Mills and employed 60 workers. INVENTORY FORM CONTINUATION SHEET American Powder Mill Area Form Nos. 589 -591 HISTORICAL NARRATIVE (continued) Endemic to the operation was the risk of explosions. A serious event occurred on May 3, 1895 when three buildings, two kerneling (sic.) and one press mill were destroyed and five workers were killed in sequential failures. Smokeless powder mills were added to the complex ca. 1900. During World War I, the firm supplied gun powder to Russia. Around 1940, production ended and the property was sold to the American Cyanamid Co. Thereafter, several different firms, including the Dewey & Almy Chem ical Co., makers of synthetic rubber; Technical Products Co.; Maynard Building Supply Co. and the R & H Co. occupied various parts of the facility. By 1945, many of the buildings in Acton had been lost. At that time, the larger building on this site was being used to manufacture toys. A long, rectangular, single-story, frame building with basement used as a machine sho p formerly stood adjacent to the dam and immediately southwest of Building 23. It has been lost in the last 10 years. A small, square, free- standing, stock room with 2 and 1-story sections which stood immediately south of Building 23 appears to have been moved to the east of Building 23 between 1916 and 1929 when it was used as a tool shed before it was removed between 1945 and 1953. Two small, 1-story, buildings, including an irregular-plan Repair Shop were located at the south end of a foot bridge across the river northeast of Building 23. The latter was lost between 1945 and 1953. The former has disappeared since 1953. Additional buildings for lumber storage stood across the river. A Saltpeter Mill, Engine Room and other utilitarian buildings and a water wheel located across the river have been variously removed. Store houses, charcoal making facilities (Buildings No. 20 and No. 88), an office (Building N o. 90, modified extant, 37 Powder Mill Road), a horse shed (Building No. 85), and a structure for storage of cord wood located acro ss the street have nearly been all lost. Store houses, a wood shed (Building No. 17) and charcoal houses (Building No. 18 ) located no rth of Powder Mill Road and west of the d am were also been removed since the middle of the twentieth century. BIBLIOGRAPHY and/or REFERENCES See continuation sheet. Acton Historical Commission Files. Fletcher, Jam es Rev. Acton in History. Middlesex County History. Philadelphia and Boston: J. W . Lewis & Co., 1890, p. 294. New York Times. May 4, 1895. Phalen, Harold R. History of the Town of Acton. Cambridge, MA: Middlesex Printing, Inc. 1954, pp. 140 and 145. Maps and Atlases Beers, F. W . Acton. County Atlas of Midd lesex Massachusetts. New York, 1875. Hales, John G. Plan of the Town of Acton in the County of Middlesex, 1830-1831. Sanborn Map C ompany. Acton, M assachusetts, July 1916, May 1929, October 1945 and May 1953. Tuttle, Horace F. Historical M ap of Acton showing O ccupants of the Old Homesteads and the Old Town Ways, 1890. Walker, Geo. H. & Co. Atlas of Middlesex County, Massachusetts,1889. Boston: Geo. H. Walker & Co., 1889. Walling, H . F. County Atlas of Midd lesex Massachusetts. Boston, 1856. Recommended for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; If checked, see attached National Register Criteria Statement..
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