About Main Street Historic District (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
Historic, Historical Places, Interesting Places, Historic Districts
The Main Street Historic District is a historic district encompassing the scenic and historic portions of Main Street in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The downtown portion of Main Street is widely recognizable due to its use by Norman Rockwell in his 1967 painting, Main Street, Stockbridge at Christmas. The central portion of Main Street is a broad street with wide green lawns, anchored by a traditional New England town center containing a church and municipal buildings. Along this part of Main Street is the Mission House, a National Historic Landmark that is one of oldest buildings in Stockbridge, dating to the early 1740s. Further to the west the road is more rural, and the district's western boundary is at the crossing of Main Street over the Housatonic River. The eastern part of the district includes the retail heart of the town, including the Red Lion Inn and several blocks of shops. The far eastern part of the district is Laurel Hill, a wooded park with views of the town center. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
