Geographical Data

Verbal Boundary Description
Beginning at the intersection of Main Street and the curving east and north-side property line of Parcel 4C-37 (550 Main), the district boundary runs west along Main Street to the east property line of Parcel 4C-27 (579 Main); thence running northerly along that property line to the point where the lot line turns west; thence running generally west and parallel to Main Street along a line of district then runs along the back property lines of Parcels CBD2-17 (601 Main Street).

The north boundary of the district then runs along the back property lines of Parcels CBD2-17 and CBD2-16 (601/603 and 607 Main Street); thence follows a line of convenience across Parcel CBD2-15 (615 Main Street) from the rear northwest corner of Parcel CBD2-16 to the rear northest corner of Parcel CBD2-14 (621 Main Street); thence running westerly along the back property line of Parcel CBD2-14.

From the rear northwest corner of Parcel CBD2-14, the boundary follows a northwesterly lone of convenience across a portion of Parcel CBD2-15 to the rear northwest corner of Parcel CBD2-13 (631 Main Street.) It follows the rear lot line of Parcel CBD2-13, then from the rear northwest corner of the lot, it follow a line of convenience roughly parallel to Main Street across Parcel CBD2-12 (649 Main Street) to the rear northeast corner of Parcel CBD2-11 (651-Main Street); thence along the rear property line of Parcel CBD2-11 to the southeast side property line of Parcel CBD2-10 (655 Main Street;) thence turning northeasterly along the southeast property live of Parcel CBD2-10, then follow the rear property line of that parcel to the "Old Town House Road".

The district boundary crosses "Old Town House Road" and runs north along the east sideline of the Town House lot, (Parcel CBD2-9), thence follows its rear property line, then south along its west property line and west along the rear property line of Parcel CBD1-8 (673 Main Street). From the northwest corner of Parcel CBD1-8, the boundary then follows a line of convenience southwest to the northeast rear corner of Parcel CBD1-6. It then follows the rear property line of that parcel; thence follows a line of convenience west-northwest to the rear northeast corner of Parcel CBD1-04 (711 and 713 Main Street). It follows the rear lot of Parcel CBD1-04 extended across lots CBD1-42 and CBD1-03 to the northeast rear corner of Parcel CBD1-02 (725 Main Street). It then follows the rear property lone of Parcel CBD1-02 to the southeast side property line of Parcel CBD1-01 (727 Main Street).

From that point the district boundary follows a lone of convenience across Parcels CBD1-01, 4C29A and 4C-29 to the northeast angle of side property line of Parcel 5C-5 (763 Main Street). It then turns northeast, and follow the southeast and northern boundaries of Parcel 5C-5 to Harvard Road; thence runs north along Harvard Road to the rear northeast corner of Parcel 5C-1 to Main Street. From this point the southern district boundary runs east-southeast along Main Street, thence south-southeast along Manor Road to the southwest rear corner of Parcel 4C-22 (752 Main Street). It then runs northeast along the southeast side property line of Parcel 4C-22 to the rear northwest corner of the Town Library lot, Parcel CBD1-40, and turns southeast along that parcel's rear property line.

From the point where the line intersects the northwest corner of lot 4C-13, the boundary follows a line of convenience contiguous with the rear boundary of Parcel CBD1-39, and running southeast across Wataquadoc Road to the southwest corner of Parcel CBD1-36A. It then follows the southeast side property of Parcel CBD1-36 A to the rear southwest corner of Parcel CBD1-33: thence running along the rear property lines of the parcels fronting on the south side of Main Street to the west side lot line of Parcel CBD1-43 (Emerson School lot).

The district boundary then turns southwest and south along Parcel CBD1-43 to the east-west intermediate line shown on Map CBD1 directly behind the Emerson School building, then runs east along that line to the sideline of the school lot as shown on Assessor's Map #CBD1. (See Assessor's map). It then follows a line of convenience north across lot CBD1-29 to the southwest corner of Parcel CBD1-28 (620 Main Street). The boundary then continues east along the rea boundary of the lot to the west sideline of Parcel CBD1-27 (676 Main Street). It then runs first southeast, then northeast and northwest along the back property lines of Parcel CBD1-27 to the southwest corner of Parcel CBD2-25 (670 Main Street).

The boundary then follows the rear property lines of Parcels CBD2-25, -24, and -23 to the southeast rear corner of Parcel CBD2-23 (662 Main Street). From that point the boundary runs south along a line of convenience to the rear southwest corner of Parcel CBD2-26; thence along the rear property lines to the rear southeast corner of Parcel CBD2-20 (642 Main Street). The southern district boundary then follows a line of convenience to the southwest corner of Parcel CBD2-18 (608 Main Street). It runs along the rear property of the lot; thence follows a lone of convenience across Parcels 4C-38 and 4C-24 to the rear southwest corner of Parcel 4C-25 (562 Main Street); thence runs east along the rear property lines of Parcels 4C-25, -36, and -37; then northerly and northwesterly along the side property line of Parcel 4C-37 to the point of origin on Main Street.

Boundary Justification
The boundaries of the Bolton Center Historic District encompass the historic institutional, civic, and commercial core of the town of Bolton, along with the Town's earliest clustered residential neighborhood. The district includes nearly all the institutional resources that make up the traditional New England town center--the town hall, church of the first religious society, several parsonages, two district schoolhouses, the first high school, and the public library.

The domestic and commercial buildings in the district are representative of all the major historic periods, building types, and styles in the development of the town including many survivals from Bolton's agrarian past. Several lots in Bolton Center are very large, including up to twenty acres or more, and many smaller ones also extend far back from the street. Thus, in several places, both the north and south district boundaries follow a line of convenience. It is possible that the district could be expanded in the future to include parts of the surrounding residential and agricultural areas. Because of the intruding presence of a divided highway, I-495, just outside the east end of Bolton center district, however, separate National Register district designation would be more appropriate for the historic corridor located the east of route 495 along Main Street/Route 117.

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