_______________________ _____________________________________ En’, IWJI ‘III ‘" 11fl4-XIIH Il,. S-ki United States Department of the Interior NatiQnai Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form 1. Name of Property Instorir name Massje Wireless Station other n;uneAsite number ‘ ‘ Pt]-’ 2. bntion street & nuinber 1300 Frenchtown Road not for publication: citxtown: East Greenwich viciuit N/A state: RI toil ntv Ken Msle: 0 0 3 ZIp isle: 02 8 1 8 3. Classificafion Ownership of Pms’rty: Private Tategorv of Piopertv: Building Nu mnber of flesoiLrtes with] ii Property: - Ton t riInit ii ig No ii 0 nt rihuli ng htHldilgs sites structures objects 1 p Total Number of toiitnhimting res4imrees previously listed in time National Ihgister Name ol related immumltiple property listiuig N/A ___________________________________________________________________ ______________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________ USDIiNPS Yil[fl Registration Form Page 2 Property name Nassie Wireless Station, Kent Cty. , East Greenwich, RI 4. StatelFederal Agency Certification As the tlt’signated authority under time National ii istonc Preservation Act of 1986, as amnendeil, I hereby certify that this_x_ nonminatiomi request for tleternii nat ion of eligibility meets the documnemitation standards for registermg pmoiwiies in the Nationi I Register of ii istoric Places and meets the procedural amid professional requ irenien ts set forth in 36 CFI1 Pa.rt. 60. In mmiv opi mm ion, tIme property J nieets does not meet the National Register Cr term. - See continuation sheet. 1. ‘ Gc Signature of certifying official Date State or Feil era I agency a mid himmriLil En umy op i iii u m, the i11 pe rtv meets ltfl’s mot uieet tIme Nat immII legister t-ri te ii a. See continuation sheet. Si gua timit’ of to in immi tim ig or oti ici official t te State or F’ede ‘al agemi cv a mit! himrca’’ 5. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this pmopeity is: entered in the National Register See contimmuatiomi sheet. dett’nmn mietl eligible for t lie Nationa.l I legister See con timi ua tit ii sheet. ii etcrmim ted m tot ci ig ib le for time National Register m-enmoved from the National Register oti icr expl aim,: S igna tn iv of Iteept’ r D t te of Action 6. Function or Use Ilistom’ic: INDUSTRY/PROCESSING/ Sub: communications facility EXTRACTION Uunemmt: RECREATION/CULTURE/MUSEUM Sub: USDL’NPS NTIIIIP Registration Form Page 3 Prnpertvimaimme Nassie Wireless Station, Kent Cty. , East Greenwich, RI 7. Description Arcimi tectural Ciassificatiomm: NO STYLE Other Descri ptiomi Matom-iiils foummdatio,m CONCRETE roof ASPHALT wails WOOD/shingle other Describe peesemit aimtl historic physical appeam’ammce. 2L St’e ctmm t imm miatiomm slmeet. & Statement of Significance Certifvimmg official imas tommsidered the significammct’ of this property in relation to other properties nat long 1J Applinmble Natiomial Register Criteria Critt’mia Uommsideratiomms Exceptiomms fl Areas of Sigimificammce: COMMUNICATIONS Periods of Significance: 1 907- 1912 Signifit-ammt Dates 1907 Sigm t ifica itt Persomms: CimItimitI Affiii;ttio,i A mc Ii itctt/Jjii iiile r State sigmmificammce of pioperty, amid justify criteria, t-ntcm-ia coitsiderations. anti areas amid periods of significammre noted above. X See cotmti miimatioii .slmcit. USDIiNPS MIHT Ilegistnitiomm Fonmi Page 4 Prnpertvmmaimie Massie Wireless Station, Kent Cty., East Greenwich, RI 9. Major Bibliographical References _ Set commtimmmmatiOim sheet. Previomis docunientatiomm omm file NPS: pn?hmlnary deternmimiation of individual listing 36 CFII 67 has been reqmmested. previomisly iisted imm time National Register previtmslv detemimmimmetl eligible 1w tIme National Register - desigimated a Natiotta I Historic I a ndmmiark - iecoitlt’d by historic Ainericami Builth immgs 5mm rvev recirded by Historic :mmmem’icimn Emmgimmeerimtg litsortl Priimma iv Ijwat ion of Add it iomma i Data: State lustonc pmvsematioim office Otimer state agemmcy F’ederal ;mgemmcy Ixa I go-enmmmment Ummiversity JLOtImer-- Specify Repositomt New England Wireless & Steam Museum. 1300 Frenchtown Road. East Greenwich, RI 02818 10. Geographical Data Acm’eageofPropertc less than one 1 7PM Referemices Zone Easting Nom’tit imig 7Mtme Eastimig Nortlmiimg A 19 290690 4611070 B C I See cotmtimiuatioim simeet. Ve rba.I I 3omi mmdarv 1escr I pt iomm: Set’ comm t imm mmat 0mm slmeet. The nominated acreage is the land on which Massie Station sits, part of Assessor’s Plat l9C, lot 71, Town of East Greenwich. l3oimimdamv .Justificatiotm: See cotiti iimatiott simect. A moved building, Massie Station no longer retains integrity of setting. Now surrounded by a mown field and other museum buildings in a suburban location, Massie Station’s setting is no longer related to its significance. Thus, only the land on which the building sits is nominated. 1L Form Prepared By Nmmmnetl’itIe: Robert Merriam. Director Omammization: New England Wireless & Steam Museum Date: March. 2001 Street & NiLmmmbemt 1300 Frenchtown Road Teiepimomme: 401-885-0545 City or Towmm: East Greenwich State: RI Z1I 02818 tam Im Nm’S Fnn,, iO’tii* .m.mn..aI sa 105 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Pmpertymmamne Massie Wireless Station. Kent Cty. East Greenwich. RI Settiomm mmmmmimber 7 Page 5 Description Massie Station 1907 is a simple, small 2-story wood frame building, covered in weathered shingles, with a gable roof and a gable-roof observation tower at the roofs peak on the north end. Originally constructed on the beach at Point Judith facing Rhode Island Sound, it is now located on the grounds of the New England Wireless and Steam Museum, some twenty miles north in suburban East Greenwich. The principal elevations are the flank-gable sides, facing east and west; each elevation is three bays wide, with a slightly off-center door. The building is only one bay deep. The east and west side entries have single-leaf, paneled doors, surrounded by flat board trim. The window sash is double-hung, 2/2 except in the tower where the panes are fixed, and the window and door frames are trimmed with flat boards. The windows are paired in the south elevation; a triple window is located on the second story of the west elevation. The building originally sat on wood pilings on beach sand; it now rests on a concrete foundation. The interior is divided into four rooms, two up and two down. The building is divided by a stairhall that can be reached through either door. The narrow single-mn stair, with plain balusters and rail, runs from east to west and ends in a small landing. The interior is finished simply; varnished pine matched-board siding covers walls and ceilings; flat boards surround doors and windows. The tower is reached through a ceiling hatch with a drop-down ladder in the second-floor south room. The south end of the building was heated by a stove on the ground floor; a cast iron register in the ceiling allowed the warm air to move to the second floor. The two northern rooms were unheated. The second-floor south room contains the complete complement of the operating equipment of an early 20th_century wireless radio station in its documented original location and configuration. The room is well lit, with windows on all three exterior sides and would have afforded a sweeping view for the radio operator. The radio equipment is set on and near a plain wooden early 20tu1century table in the northwest corner of the room. It includes the operator call box, Resonaphone receiver, change over switch, and pump handle key, all on the table. Mounted on the wall above the table is the key relay. To the left of the table is the condenser cabinet with 70 of its eventual 100 glass plate NI’S hnu Io-mmi. tiM tm Ipnvai Ni mmn4-IAi m. S-IS United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Pmpertymmimimme Massie Wireless Station, Kent Cty.. East Greenwich RI St’cti omm i mu mnber 7 Page 6 condensers installed. Set on top of the condenser cabinet are the helix and the straight spark gap. Mounted on the wall above the helix are a hot wire ammeter and anchor gap. The transmitter operates at about 350K1-Iz. The station is operational, but it is not now connected to an antenna. The other three rooms are finished similarly. They were originally living quarters for the operator and now house museum collections. The Massie Station is presently listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a non-contributing component of the Tillinghast Road Historic District, a linear district which includes a number of early houses and small industrial sites, set along a nearby road in western East Greenwich. Phoiographs Photo #1 Photographer: Pamela A. Kennedy Date: May 2001 Negative: RIHPHC, 150 Benefit Street, Providence, RI View: North and east elevation. Photo #2. Photographer: Robert Merriam Date: November 2000 Negative: RIHPHC, 150 Benefit Street, Providence, RI View: Second floor, south room, northwest corner. The table and adjacent cabinet on the left contain the complement of Massie’s equipment. On the table from right to left are the pump handle key, change-over switch, receiver, and operator call box. At left is the condensor, its glass plates mounted vertically. On top of the cabinet is the helix and the straight spark gap. NI’S It,nz, IO-KIa OMIt . Iin ,,I N Ifl4-I$Im S S-IS United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Property imaimie Maqsie Wireless St-at-inn. Kent Ct-v at Greenwich. PT Seetiomi mum immber 7 Page 7 NI’S F,n,, il.MXl-,. Ml.’ ppn.va I Ni mI44-IIIIS United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Property miammmt’ Massie Wireless St-at-inn.