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Coordinates: 42°19′47″N 71°5′27″W / 42.32972°N 71.09083°W / 42.32972; -71.09083
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{{short description|Historic district in Massachusetts, United States}}
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{{Infobox NRHP | name =John Eliot Square District
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
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| nrhp_type = hd | nocat = yes

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| image = First_Church_in_Roxbury_MA.jpg
{{Infobox NRHP
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| caption = First Church of Roxbury
| name = John Eliot Square District
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| location= [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
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| nrhp_type = hd
| lat_degrees = 42
| nocat = yes
| lat_minutes = 19
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| image = First_Church_in_Roxbury_MA.jpg
| lat_seconds = 47
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| caption = First Church of Roxbury
| lat_direction = N
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| location = [[Boston, Massachusetts]]
| long_degrees = 71
| coordinates = {{coord|42|19|47|N|71|5|27|W|display=inline,title}}
| long_minutes = 5
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| locmapin = Massachusetts#USA
| long_seconds = 27
| area =
| long_direction = W
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| architect = Multiple
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| locmapin = Massachusetts
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| architecture = Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Federal
| area =
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| added = April 23, 1973
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| architect= Multiple
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| refnum = 73000854
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| architecture= Mid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Federal
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| added = April 23, 1973
| governing_body = Local
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| refnum=73000854
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2008a}}</ref>
| nrhp_type2 = cp
| nrhp_type2 = cp
| designated_nrhp_type2 = February 22, 1989
| designated_nrhp_type2 = February 22, 1989
| partof = [[Roxbury Highlands Historic District]]
| partof = [[Roxbury Highlands Historic District]]
| partof_refnum = 89000147
| partof_refnum = 89000147
}}
}}


'''John Eliot Square District''' is a [[historic district (United States)|historic district]] located in the northern [[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]] neighborhood of [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. It is formed by the intersection of Dudley, Bartlett, Centre, Roxbury and Highland Streets. Named after local missionary to the Indians, [[John Eliot (missionary)|John Eliot]], the square was the site of the Roxbury town center after its founding in 1630. Roxbury was annexed to [[Boston]] in 1868,<ref name="blc-rox" /><ref name="blc-rox">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverroxbury.org/#/roxburys-history/4528136328|title=Roxbury's History|year=1995|publisher=Boston Landmarks Commission|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="bra-rox">{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/neighborhoods/Neighborhoods.asp?action=ViewHood&HoodID=16|title=Boston's Neighborhoods|publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> and John Eliot Square was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1973. The square is the nucleus of [[Roxbury Heritage State Park]], a history-themed heritage park.
'''John Eliot Square District''' is a [[historic district (United States)|historic district]] located in the northern [[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]] neighborhood of [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. It is formed by the intersection of Dudley, Bartlett, Centre, Roxbury and Highland Streets. Named after local missionary to the Indians, [[John Eliot (missionary)|John Eliot]], the square was the site of the Roxbury town center after its founding in 1630. Roxbury was annexed to [[Boston]] in 1868,<ref name="blc-rox">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverroxbury.org/#/roxburys-history/4528136328|title=Roxbury's History|year=1995|publisher=Boston Landmarks Commission|accessdate=15 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015172933/http://www.discoverroxbury.org/#/roxburys-history/4528136328|archive-date=15 October 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="bra-rox">{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/neighborhoods/Neighborhoods.asp?action=ViewHood&HoodID=16|title=Boston's Neighborhoods|publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> and John Eliot Square was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1973. The square is the nucleus of [[Roxbury Heritage State Park]], a history-themed heritage park.


==Major landmarks==
==Major landmarks==

===First Church of Roxbury===
===First Church of Roxbury===
John Eliot Square's central landmark is the [[The First Church in Roxbury|First Church of Roxbury]], Boston's oldest surviving wooden meeting house from the [[Federal Period]] of American architecture.
John Eliot Square's central landmark is the [[The First Church in Roxbury|First Church of Roxbury]], Boston's oldest surviving wooden meeting house from the [[Federal Period]] of American architecture.


===Dillaway-Thomas House===
===Dillaway-Thomas House===
[[Roxbury Heritage State Park]] is anchored by the '''Dillaway–Thomas House''', a large colonial structure built in 1750 and thought to be Roxbury's oldest surviving house.<ref name="dcr-rxhp"/><ref name="campbell-house">{{cite news|title=A window on the past|last=Campbell|first=Robert|date=May 20, 1993|publisher=''The Boston Globe''|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> The location includes an adjacent {{convert|1|acre|ha|adj=on}} landscaped park with views of the Boston skyline,<ref name="dcr-rxhp">{{cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/rxhp.htm|title=Roxbury Heritage State Park|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|accessdate=13 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="massgis">[http://www.mass.gov/mgis/osp.htm Protected and recreational open space datalayer], Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs - http://www.mass.gov/mgis/dd-over.htm</ref> and is part of the [[Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston]].
[[Roxbury Heritage State Park]] is anchored by the '''Dillaway–Thomas House''', a large colonial structure built in 1750 and thought to be Roxbury's oldest surviving house.<ref name="dcr-rxhp"/><ref name="campbell-house">{{cite news|title=A window on the past|last=Campbell|first=Robert|date=May 20, 1993|newspaper=The Boston Globe}}</ref> The location includes an adjacent {{convert|1|acre|ha|adj=on}} landscaped park with views of the Boston skyline,<ref name="dcr-rxhp">{{cite web|url=http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/rxhp.htm|title=Roxbury Heritage State Park|publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts|accessdate=13 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="massgis">[http://www.mass.gov/mgis/osp.htm Protected and recreational open space datalayer], Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs - http://www.mass.gov/mgis/dd-over.htm</ref> and is part of the [[Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston]].


The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian-style]] home was built as a [[rectory|parsonage]] for Rev. Oliver Peabody, pastor of the First Church of Roxbury in 1750.<ref name="coleman-open">{{cite news|title=Roxbury house reopens to tell of past, future|last=Coleman|first=Sandy|date=October 11, 1992|publisher=''The Boston Globe''|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> The house was later owned by Martha Dillaway and then [[John Thomas (general)|John Thomas]], an American commander in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="coleman-open" /> While Thomas owned the house in 1776, [[cannon]]s from [[Fort Ticonderoga]] in [[New York]] were transported by [[Henry Knox]] to [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] and then through Roxbury on the way to forming the [[Fortification of Dorchester Heights]], where they were used to force the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17.<ref name="edhc-knox">{{cite web|url=http://www.evacuationday.com/images/Evacuation_Day_3_15_08_Final_Draft.pdf|title=Celebrating the Knox Trail|year=2008|publisher=Evacuation Day Heritage Committee|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> A marker commemorating the neighborhood as a stop on the [[Henry Knox Trail|Knox trail]] and signifying Thomas' role in ending the [[Siege of Boston]] was placed at the park in 2009.<ref name="knox-dedication">{{cite web|url=http://www.generalknoxmuseum.org/images/Spring09Newsletter.pdf|title=The Knox Museum joins Evacuation Day celebration|date=Spring 2009|publisher=General Henry Knox Museum|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref> The marker was the 57th placed to commemorate the [[Noble train of artillery|Knox Expedition]], and the first added since the string of monuments marking the trail was established in 1927.<ref name="miller-knox">{{cite news|url=http://www.baystatebanner.com/local16-2009-03-19|title=Roxbury role in Revolutionary War recognized with marker|last=Miller|first=Yawu|date=March 19, 2009|publisher=''Bay State Banner''|accessdate=15 December 2009|location=Boston}}</ref><ref name="edhc-program">{{cite web|url=http://www.evacuationday.com/citywideevents.html|title=Marking history: new Roxbury Knox Trail marker|publisher=Evacuation Day Heritage Committee|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref>
The [[Georgian architecture|Georgian-style]] home was built as a [[rectory|parsonage]] for Rev. Oliver Peabody, pastor of the First Church of Roxbury in 1750.<ref name="coleman-open">{{cite news|title=Roxbury house reopens to tell of past, future|last=Coleman|first=Sandy|date=October 11, 1992|newspaper=The Boston Globe}}</ref> The house was later owned by Martha Dillaway and then [[John Thomas (general)|John Thomas]], an American commander in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="coleman-open" /> While Thomas owned the house in 1776, [[cannon]]s from [[Fort Ticonderoga]] in [[New York (state)|New York]] were transported by [[Henry Knox]] to [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]] and then through Roxbury on the way to forming the [[Fortification of Dorchester Heights]], where they were used to force the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17.<ref name="edhc-knox">{{cite web|url=http://www.evacuationday.com/images/Evacuation_Day_3_15_08_Final_Draft.pdf|title=Celebrating the Knox Trail|year=2008|publisher=Evacuation Day Heritage Committee|accessdate=15 December 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724022753/http://evacuationday.com/images/Evacuation_Day_3_15_08_Final_Draft.pdf|archivedate=24 July 2008}}</ref> A marker commemorating the neighborhood as a stop on the [[Henry Knox Trail|Knox trail]] and signifying Thomas' role in ending the [[Siege of Boston]] was placed at the park in 2009.<ref name="knox-dedication">{{cite web|url=http://www.generalknoxmuseum.org/images/Spring09Newsletter.pdf |title=The Knox Museum joins Evacuation Day celebration |date=Spring 2009 |publisher=General Henry Knox Museum |accessdate=15 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726083232/http://www.generalknoxmuseum.org/images/Spring09Newsletter.pdf |archivedate=26 July 2011 }}</ref> The marker was the 57th placed to commemorate the [[Noble train of artillery|Knox Expedition]], and the first added since the string of monuments marking the trail was established in 1927.<ref name="miller-knox">{{cite news|url=http://www.baystatebanner.com/local16-2009-03-19|title=Roxbury role in Revolutionary War recognized with marker|last=Miller|first=Yawu|date=March 19, 2009|publisher=Bay State Banner|accessdate=15 December 2009|location=Boston|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100104062600/http://baystatebanner.com/local16-2009-03-19|archivedate=4 January 2010}}</ref><ref name="edhc-program">{{cite web|url=http://www.evacuationday.com/citywideevents.html|title=Marking history: new Roxbury Knox Trail marker|publisher=Evacuation Day Heritage Committee|accessdate=15 December 2009}}</ref>


The house was first restored in the 1930s by a [[preservationist]] who also introduced some inaccurate fixtures in an effort to embellish its history.<ref name="campbell-house" /> After two fires in the 1970s, a state representative who was a former Roxbury resident successfully petitioned the legislature in 1984 for funding to restore the house and preserve it as a heritage park.<ref name="coleman-open" /> The following restoration was done leaving some spots showing levels of all previous work done to the house left exposed, creating a physical timeline of the architectural history of the house.<ref name="campbell-house" /> The completed house was opened to the public in 1992, and contains exhibits tracing periods of the history of Roxbury from the past to the present.<ref name="dcr-rxhp" /><ref name="coleman-open" />
The house was first restored in the 1930s by a [[preservationist]] who also introduced some inaccurate fixtures in an effort to embellish its history.<ref name="campbell-house" /> After two fires in the 1970s, a state representative who was a former Roxbury resident successfully petitioned the legislature in 1984 for funding to restore the house and preserve it as a heritage park.<ref name="coleman-open" /> The following restoration was done leaving some spots showing levels of all previous work done to the house left exposed, creating a physical timeline of the architectural history of the house.<ref name="campbell-house" /> The completed house was opened to the public in 1992, and contains exhibits tracing periods of the history of Roxbury from the past to the present.<ref name="dcr-rxhp" /><ref name="coleman-open" />
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

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{{commons category|John Eliot Square District}}


{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts}}
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[[Category:Historic districts in Suffolk County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Historic districts in Suffolk County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Roxbury, Boston]]
[[Category:Roxbury, Boston]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Boston, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Boston]]
[[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Historic district contributing properties in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts]]

Latest revision as of 21:41, 7 August 2023

John Eliot Square District
First Church of Roxbury
John Eliot Square District is located in Massachusetts
John Eliot Square District
John Eliot Square District is located in the United States
John Eliot Square District
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°19′47″N 71°5′27″W / 42.32972°N 71.09083°W / 42.32972; -71.09083
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleMid 19th Century Revival, Late Victorian, Federal
Part ofRoxbury Highlands Historic District (ID89000147)
NRHP reference No.73000854 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 23, 1973
Designated CPFebruary 22, 1989

John Eliot Square District is a historic district located in the northern Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is formed by the intersection of Dudley, Bartlett, Centre, Roxbury and Highland Streets. Named after local missionary to the Indians, John Eliot, the square was the site of the Roxbury town center after its founding in 1630. Roxbury was annexed to Boston in 1868,[2][3] and John Eliot Square was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The square is the nucleus of Roxbury Heritage State Park, a history-themed heritage park.

Major landmarks[edit]

First Church of Roxbury[edit]

John Eliot Square's central landmark is the First Church of Roxbury, Boston's oldest surviving wooden meeting house from the Federal Period of American architecture.

Dillaway-Thomas House[edit]

Roxbury Heritage State Park is anchored by the Dillaway–Thomas House, a large colonial structure built in 1750 and thought to be Roxbury's oldest surviving house.[4][5] The location includes an adjacent 1-acre (0.40 ha) landscaped park with views of the Boston skyline,[4][6] and is part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston.

The Georgian-style home was built as a parsonage for Rev. Oliver Peabody, pastor of the First Church of Roxbury in 1750.[7] The house was later owned by Martha Dillaway and then John Thomas, an American commander in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.[7] While Thomas owned the house in 1776, cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in New York were transported by Henry Knox to Cambridge, Massachusetts and then through Roxbury on the way to forming the Fortification of Dorchester Heights, where they were used to force the evacuation of the British from Boston on March 17.[8] A marker commemorating the neighborhood as a stop on the Knox trail and signifying Thomas' role in ending the Siege of Boston was placed at the park in 2009.[9] The marker was the 57th placed to commemorate the Knox Expedition, and the first added since the string of monuments marking the trail was established in 1927.[10][11]

The house was first restored in the 1930s by a preservationist who also introduced some inaccurate fixtures in an effort to embellish its history.[5] After two fires in the 1970s, a state representative who was a former Roxbury resident successfully petitioned the legislature in 1984 for funding to restore the house and preserve it as a heritage park.[7] The following restoration was done leaving some spots showing levels of all previous work done to the house left exposed, creating a physical timeline of the architectural history of the house.[5] The completed house was opened to the public in 1992, and contains exhibits tracing periods of the history of Roxbury from the past to the present.[4][7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. ^ "Roxbury's History". Boston Landmarks Commission. 1995. Archived from the original on October 15, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  3. ^ "Boston's Neighborhoods". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c "Roxbury Heritage State Park". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Campbell, Robert (May 20, 1993). "A window on the past". The Boston Globe.
  6. ^ Protected and recreational open space datalayer, Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs - http://www.mass.gov/mgis/dd-over.htm
  7. ^ a b c d Coleman, Sandy (October 11, 1992). "Roxbury house reopens to tell of past, future". The Boston Globe.
  8. ^ "Celebrating the Knox Trail" (PDF). Evacuation Day Heritage Committee. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 24, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  9. ^ "The Knox Museum joins Evacuation Day celebration" (PDF). General Henry Knox Museum. Spring 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  10. ^ Miller, Yawu (March 19, 2009). "Roxbury role in Revolutionary War recognized with marker". Boston: Bay State Banner. Archived from the original on January 4, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
  11. ^ "Marking history: new Roxbury Knox Trail marker". Evacuation Day Heritage Committee. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
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