There has been a lot of talk recently about preserving town heritage. Most of that has focused on the area of Main Street and the Town Common. But for some of you, the home you live in is a source of pride.
The Southborough Historical Commission wants to let homeowners promote that pride. A new program allows qualifying homeowners to order an official town “Historic House Sign”.
Order your Historic House Sign via the Southborough Historical Commission
The Southborough Historical Commission is pleased to announce their Historic House Sign Program. The program provides an opportunity to invest owners of historic or architecturally significant houses with pride, knowledge, and the ability to serve as conscious custodians of their home’s heritage.
Seen throughout many New England cities and towns, the Commission believes that Historic House signs enhance the appearance of older homes, while promoting community awareness of our local history, and participation in the Historic House Sign Program does not limit your property in any way.
For $62 which will include shipping and handling, a homeowner can submit an application to the Historical Commission stating the age of the home and, if applicable, the historical significance of the structure. The Commission will review applications at their monthly meeting, and then submit orders to Ould Colony Artisans.
Historical data on most of Southborough’s historical properties can be found on the Massachusetts Historical Commission’s website.
Please contact the Historical Commission at historical@southboroughma.com with any questions or comments. Order forms are available at the Southborough Town House.
At a very preliminary first look, I am not at all convinced that the data on MA Historical Commission’s web site is accurate. It lists my family home as being built nearly 10 years earlier than it actually was! I wonder how many other homes have incorrect data attached.
No need to go to the state’s records–the inventory of older Southborough homes done by professionals is on file in several volumes of binders at the Southborough Historical Society Museum. The information for each includes date of building, architectural features and changes over the years, names and information about the various builders and owners, and accompanying photographs.
Sorry I can’t remember exactly when these were done but it was an extensive project completed maybe 10 years ago? Also includes landmarks (like our favorite granite marker), schools, and government buildings (probably churches, too).
I believe there may be two copies of each of the notebooks.
The Museum is open on Sundays from 1 to 3 p.m. but also upon request for particular projects like this. Check on the Southborough Historical Society website.
PS For those unfamiliar with the fact there is a Commission and a Society:
–The Commission is an official town committee appointed by Selectmen.
–The Society is a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving town history with an extensive collection of memorabilia, newspapers from many years, many photographs of people and buildings, high school graduation programs and yearbooks, and so on. The Society always welcomes volunteers to help catalog the collection which is always growing. The Society welcomes members and sponsors various programs throughout the year. You can also visit the SHS booth on Heritage Day.
This is a P.S. to my first comment… there is also a copy of the inventory at the library.
Thank you Donna McDaniel for citing the Historical Society as a wonderful resource for projects like the Historic House Sign Program.
Many owners of older homes have extensive knowledge and pride in their house’s history. The Historic House Sign Program was created so that historic/antique/old house owners can essentially share their knowledge of this history to passersby’s via a plaque. The 1999 Survey shows the inventoried properties and is a wonderful resource, however, as RB noted, there are some inconsistencies. Whenever we receive an order, we double-check year-built dates and have been working with homeowners who are unsure of their property’s history to to be as accurate as possible. RB, if you would like to chat further about your house history, please email historical@southboroughma.com and I’d be happy to help!