Boxford, MA
Boxford Town Hall
Built in 1843, Boxford Town Hall is a fine example of Greek Revival civic architecture, featuring a symmetrical façade, pedimented gable, and clapboard siding. It has served continuously as the seat of town government and community meetings, and recent restoration work has returned its original six-over-six sash windows and Doric pilasters to their 19th-century appearance.
Phone: (978) 887-6000
Boxford Village Historic District
Encompassing the earliest center of Boxford (est. 1638; incorporated 1685), this district features over two dozen 17th–18th-century buildings in Colonial and Greek Revival styles. Its continuous stone walls, timber-frame dwellings, and civic structures illustrate nearly two centuries of village development and have been carefully preserved since its 1973 National Register listing.
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Howe Village Historic District
Settled c. 1684 along Ipswich Road, this rural cluster of Colonial and Federal homes includes fine examples of timber-frame shoemaker’s shops and tavern houses. Listed on the National Register in 1973, its narrow lanes and period detail—twin chimneys, five-bay façades, and board-and-batten ells—offer a window into Boxford’s 18th–19th-century village life.
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Holyoke-French House
Built in 1760 as the parsonage for Rev. Elizur Holyoke, this 2½-story gambrel-roofed wood-frame house features clapboard siding, twin interior chimneys, and a gabled pediment entry with pilasters. Operated as a museum by the Boxford Historical Society, its careful restoration highlights original paneled doors, wide-plank floors, and hand-hewn summer beams.
Phone: (978) 887-5078
First Church Congregational
Founded 1701 and rebuilt 1836, the First Church in East Boxford is a 1½-story clapboarded meetinghouse with a gabled roof and classic transom-topped entrance. It served as the venue for civic gatherings and armory storage during the Revolutionary War, and its preservation retains original pulpit woodwork, box pews, and winding stair newel posts.
Phone: (978) 887-5841
John Boardman House
This First Period saltbox at 28 Lawrence Road dates to c. 1740 and was moved from Saugus in 1956. Its timber-framed walls with exposed summer beams, central chimney, and 4-bay front define classic mid-18th-century colonial architecture; the carefully restored clapboard exterior and winding staircase illustrate preservation best practices.
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Sawyer House
Constructed c. 1830, the Sawyer House is a Palladian-influenced Greek Revival residence characterized by its five-bay façade, Doric pilasters, and wide entablature. Preservation of its original corner boards, frieze returns, and interior mouldings underscores the durability of 19th-century carpentry techniques.
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Spofford-Barnes House
Dating to the early 1700s, this modest timber-framed farmhouse exhibits First Period framing with post-and-beam construction, a side-gable roof, and original hand-forged hardware. Its later 19th-century ell and gambrel update illustrate the evolution of rural New England domestic architecture.
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Phineas Foster House
The c. 1725 Foster House at 15 Old Topsfield Road began as a single-cell First Period structure; its later double-cell form and Federal-style porch entry reflect evolving tastes. Preservation focused on restoring its boxed summer beams and central chimney masonry to period-authentic condition.
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Captain Isaac Adams House
Built in 1702 at 161 Spofford Road, this stone-foundation, timber-framed house features Georgian symmetry and rough-laid rubble masonry. Its restoration emphasized repointing the original mortar and repairing the oak summer beams to ensure structural stability.
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Rowley Village Forge Site
An 18th-century iron forge archaeological site, it represents early colonial industry on the Ipswich River. Excavations uncovered furnace remains, stone foundations, and slag deposits, guiding preservation strategies for interpreting industrial heritage.
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Palmer School
This c. 1820 one-room schoolhouse on Middleton Road features Federal-style pilasters and transom-lit entry. Its interior retains original chalkboards, beadboard wainscoting, and high-window sashes; adaptive reuse plans emphasize preserving its historic fabric while accommodating interpretive displays.
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Old Mill on Porter Brook
Ruins of the 18th-century grist mill at Porter Brook, including stone wheel pits and sluice remnants, illustrate early small-scale milling technology. Preservation efforts focus on stabilizing extant masonry and interpreting water-power infrastructure for educational tours.
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Boxford Historic Document Center
Ipswich Road School House
A former district school at 119 Ipswich Road, this c. 1840 structure retains original gable-end belfry, simple pilasters, and interior pine flooring. Preservation has included restoring the original bell and epoxy-free repair of its mortise-and-tenon joinery.
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Boxford Historic Document Center
Sharpner’s Pond Sentinel Site
The Cold War era Sentinel ABM excavation at Sharpner’s Pond (c. 1969) remains as a 30-ft deep quarry pit. Now part of Boxford State Forest, its concrete footings and access road are stabilized for public safety, interpreting an abandoned federal defense project.
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East Boxford Fire Station
Constructed in 1942, this brick-clad fire station blends Colonial Revival symmetry with functional bay doors and hose-drying towers. Its preservation includes masonry repointing, insulated door restoration, and adaptive upgrade of fire-suppression systems respecting historic character.
Phone: (978) 887-9999
Boxford Historic Document Center
Housed in a mid-20th century office building, the Center preserves 340 years of town records, photographs, and maps. Climate-controlled archives, original deed books, and digitization labs support municipal research and historic restoration planning.
Phone: (978) 887-6000 x550
Boxford State Forest (Bald Hill)
Bald Hill at 243 ft elevation anchors Boxford State Forest’s 2,200 acres of mixed hardwood and conifer, crossed by looping trails and historic stone walls. Remnants of early logging roads and conservation-era fire towers are interpreted for visitors.
Phone: (978) 887-6000
Spofford Pond Reservation
This 27-acre conservation tract around Spofford Pond features 19th-century dam remains, stone spillways, and picnic shelters. Boardwalks and ADA‐compliant docks allow close study of wetland habitat and historic water‐management structures.
Phone: (978) 887-6000 x506
Apple Festival Bandstand
Each September, the restored Victorian-style bandstand on Main Street anchors the annual Apple Festival. Its turned posts, gingerbread trim, and raised platform celebrate Boxford’s agricultural heritage and ongoing community traditions.
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