History - Samuel Page House (circa 1883)

In 1989, Ed Gordon inventoried the 305 Prospect Street home for the Norwood Historical Commission.

Address: 305 Prospect Street near Cottage Street
Historic Name: Samuel Page House
Present: Single Family House
Original: Same
Description: ca. 1870's or early 1880s.
Source: Norwood atlases, directories
Style: Stick/Queen Anne
Architect: --
Exterior Wall Fabric: Clapboards and wood shingles
Outbuildings: late 19th shed to rear
Major Alterations: --
Condition: Fair
Acreage: One acre
Setting: Located on ample, tree shaded lot, faces semi-circular drive, also driveway along south wall, late 19th c. shed to rear, area of early-mid 20+ houses.
Recorded by: Ed Gordon
Organization: Norwood Historical Commission
Date: March-June 1989
National Register Criteria Statement:
305 Prospect Street possesses integrity of siding, materials, form, elements and craftmanship. It is a solid example of a late 19th c. wood frame vernacular house on the fringes of a more densely settled residential area. Its first owner, Samuel Page, was an employee of railroad car shops owned by the New York and New England Railroad Company.
Architectural Significance:
305 Prospect Street, together with its barn and remnants of a once rural setting, is a good example of a late 19th c. wood frame vernacular house. This house is difficult to categorize within a specific Victorian style. This house's clapboard and shingle (at the gables) sheathing is Queen Anne in stylistic sensibility. Its roof configuration - steeply pitched gables enclose the main block and dormer - is vaguely Carpenter Gothic. The front porch's lively sawcut elements (brackets, slatwork transom) hint at the Italianate and Stick Styles. The architectural significance of the house, however, transcends 'what style is it?' Quality craftsmanship and intactness of elements is what sets this house apart from other structures of its vintage.
Historical Significance:
Norwood atlases indicate that this house was extant by 1876. The L-shaped configuration of the hosue shown in the 1876 Atlas on the site, however, does not jibe with the T-shaped configuration of the present house. The possibility remains that an earlier house was destroyed by fire and the present hosue was built ca. late 1870s - an early 1880s date of construction would make sense given this house's Queen Anne sheathing of clapboards and shingles. In any event this house has historical associations with Samuel Page. His is listed on Prospect Street in 1876/1877 as a "cabinet maker" - up until the 1870s the primary occupation of Prospect Street residents was farming. During the mid-19th c., the west side of Prospect Street, between Winter and Nahatan Streets had only two houses. These houses were owned by James Fairbanks and Paul Ellis. By the mid 1880s, Samuel Page of 305 Prospect Street was an employee of the "car shops." Evidently these "car shops" were owned by the New York and New England Railroad. Following the incorporation of Norwood as a town in 1872, a campaign was mounted to attract new undustries to the town. In 1873, the machine and car shops o this railroad were relocated from Readville to Norwood. These car shops were built on a 17 acre tract on Lenox Street. The construction of the car shops was completed in 1876. Evidently Samuel Page was among those Norwood residents who benefited from the employment provided by the New York and New England Company's car shops. Samuel Page lived at 305 Prospect Street until at least the 1890s.
Bibliography and/or References:
Maps/Atlases 1857, 1876, 1882, 1888
Norwood Directories
Tolles - Centennial History - Norwood (1972) p. 81