The Somers Historic District encompasses the historic civic and social center of the town of

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Bes ...

. It stretches along Main Street, with extensions along Springfield Road and Battle Street, and includes a significant number of vernacular Federal and Greek Revival houses. It includes the town's early churches, as well as important civic buildings, including the town hall and library. The district was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982.

Description and history

The area that is now Somers was settled in the 17th century as part of Agawam Plantation (now

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

). It was separately incorporated out of

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

in 1734, with jurisdiction transferred to the

Connecticut Colony The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

in 1749. The town has been primarily agricultural for much of its history, although there was a mill village at Somersville. The town flourished first with fruit production and then with

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

and dairy production in the 19th century. The town center, located at the junction Main Street (

Connecticut Route 190 Route 190 is a state route in the northern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It starts at Route 75 in the town of Suffield and proceeds eastward across the Connecticut River through the towns of Enfield, Somers, and Stafford. It ends a ...

) with Springfield and South Streets (

Connecticut Route 83 Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

), has been its civic and social center throughout. Important buildings, including early churches and schools, were located here, and the placement of similar buildings later has reinforced its importance in this role. The historic district is in size, and stretches along Main Street, with extensions along Springfield Road and Battle Street. Most of the buildings are early 19th-century residences, with Federal or Greek Revival style, although there are a selection of later 19th century styles represented as well. The older properties are largely clustered in three places: on Springfield Road near Main, the eastern end of Main Street, and the area just west of where the modern (1950) town hall stands. and

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Somers, Connecticut Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut Colonial architecture in Connecticut Federal architecture in Connecticut Historic districts in Tolland County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References