Howland Mill Village Historic District, New Bedford, MA, listed on the NRHP in Massachusetts
The Howland Mill Village Historic District is a residential neighborhood in New Bedford with small houses built in the 1880s and 1890s for mill workers. Most homes follow just two basic architectural styles and are arranged closely together along streets including Bolton, Winsper, Hemlock, and Rockdale Avenue.
The area was developed in the late 1880s as the Howland Mill Company began operations and built housing for its workers. The mill remained active until 1954, and in 1996 the district was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The street names like Bolton and Winsper reflect the planned layout for mill workers and their families. You can see how closely the houses sit together, showing how people organized their daily lives around the mill and its rhythms.
The district is best explored on foot, as the streets are narrow and quiet, inviting a slow walk through the neighborhood. The warmest months are ideal for visiting, when trees are green and the area feels more open.
In the 1920s, larger two-story houses were added to the district, showing how the community evolved as original worker families became more prosperous. These later homes differ noticeably from the earlier simple structures and record the economic shifts of the period.
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