Townsend Historical Society Properties
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The Grist Mill |
Copeland Cooper Shop |
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The Reed Homestead |
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The Harbor Church |
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The Cooperage |
The Reed Homestead
Historic House Museum
75 Main Street, Route 119,
Townsend Harbor, MA 01469
Four generations of the Oliver Reed family owned and occupied this Federal dwelling, built circa 1809. A room with murals attributed to Rufus Porter, itinerate painter, inventor and founder of The Scientific American Magazine, is a special feature of the house. Rare early country clothing collection. Victorian gardens with authentic plantings.
OPEN: Tuesday thru Friday 9 a.m. –2 p.m. or by appointment. Special Open House weekends in October.
INFORMATION: 978-597-2106
The Cooperage
South Street, Townsend Harbor, MA
Built in 1733, The Cooperage began as a mill for sawing boards. It was later converted to a fulling mill. In the mid-1800s it housed the barrel-making business of E. Spaulding, when the six-sided cooper fireplace was added. Later a river-side restaurant occupied the premises. Now (2001) it is an attractive gift/antique shop. The building acquired by the Townsend Historical Society from the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.
The Harbor Church
Main Street/Route 119, Townsend, Harbor, MA
Built in 1853 as a Unitarian meetinghouse, the building was closed and abandoned as a church after just a few years. It stood empty until its development as a theater and community center in the late 1800s.
The Spaulding Grist Mill
South Street, Townsend Harbor, MA
The grinding stones of this mill were driven by a horizontal wheel powered by water from the Squannacook River. The mill processed corn and grain grown by local farmers until it closed in the 1920s. It is currently closed to the public while under repair.
The Copeland Cooper Shop
Townsend Hill Road, Townsend Harbor, MA
A rare surviving example of a 19th home industry that produced barrel components for the large manufacturers. More than 80 such shops are shown on the 1856 Townsend Map.