Photo credit: Taunton Daily Gazette Photo | Rory Schuler

Lecturer Timothy Orwig’s recent proposal on behalf of the Town of Berkley to nominate the Berkley Common Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places was accepted by the Massachusetts Historical Commission at their most recent quarterly public meeting.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the historic places worthy of preservation across the US. It is administered by the National Park Service and lists more than 80,000 properties.

There is a thorough review process and the property must meet the criteria for evaluation which includes whether a site is associated with historic events, associated with historic people, embodies specific characteristics of a period or construction method and has yielded important historic information.

The Berkley Town Common has been the center of the religious and political life since the town was founded in 1735. The Common includes a cemetery with stones dating from the mid-18^th century, featuring rare stones from noted Newport carver John Bull. Many notable citizens are interred there as well.

Timothy Orwig is an architectural and social historian with a special interest in historic preservation. He teaches both in the School of Architecture and the Department of Art + Design

See the article in the Taunton Daily Gazette