Research Northampton Houses and Buildings

Purple Victorian house, with a walkway in a green lawn and shrubs.
House in Florence, Mass. Photograph by Alfred Barten, May 1, 2020. Alfred Barten photograph collection (ID 20024.83.72)

Historic Inventories (Form B)

From the mid 1970s through the early 1980s a comprehensive survey of Northampton’s historic buildings, including business and residential districts, was undertaken by teams of trained volunteers. Over 1,100 structures were surveyed according to guidelines established by the Massachusetts Historical Commission. Using the Historical Commission’s survey forms, volunteers filled in historical data on each building. Using deeds, probate records, newspaper clippings and historical documents, the building’s history and ownership was traced back to its original construction.

 Historic Northampton houses on Bridge Street: Damon House, Parsons House, Shepherd House. Photo by  Harvey J. Finison, 1969. (ID 1996.2.5)

Historic Northampton Properties

Historic Northampton is located on Bridge Street, two blocks from downtown Northampton, where Main Street meets the Bridge Street residential area. The museum’s three historic houses stand side by side, all on their original sites due to three neighbors who all agreed to donate their houses to the Northampton Historical Society, now Historic Northampton. The houses were donated between 1941 and 1969. Behind the Shepherd House is an 1805 barn that was moved to this site prior to 1853.

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Storefront on Bridge Street with man and woman outside
Stimson grocery store at 245 Bridge Street, Northampton, Mass.. Glass plate negative photographed by the Howes Brothers of Ashfield, Massachusetts, circa 1886-1902.
South Street Variety store, Northampton, Mass., Dec 2001. Photograph by Stan Sherer.

Photograph collections

Howes Brothers Collection
A collection of over 700 glass plate negatives taken by Alvah, Walter and George Howes of Ashfield, Mass. featuring people, homes and businesses in the Pioneer Valley, primarily in Northampton, Leeds, and Florence, circa 1886-1906. Photographic prints have been made from the negatives, and these have been digitized and cataloged.
Alfred Barten Photographs
A collection of over 700 glass plate negatives taken by Alvah, Walter and George Howes of Ashfield, Mass. featuring people, homes and businesses in the Pioneer Valley, primarily in Northampton, Leeds, and Florence, circa 1886-1906. Photographic prints have been made from the negatives, and these have been digitized and cataloged.
Harvey Finison Slide Collection
352 slides predominantly of Northampton architecture and scenes taken by Harvey Finison, circa 1960s-1970s. 
Main Street Photograph Collection
Photographs and postcards featuring Main Street in Northampton, from the 19th century to the present.
Streets photographs
Historic Northampton holds a large collection of photographs organized by street names in Northampton, Florence, Leeds and Williamsburg. This collection is a rich resource for historic images of houses and neighborhoods. Many of the photographs have been digitized and can be searched in the online catalog by street name.

Additional Resources

Bibliography on Northampton Architecture and Buildings under Additional Resources on local history.

A number of resources on houses and properties can be found on the City of Northampton website.