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Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District
In 1669, Wannalancit, last sachem of the Pennacook Confederacy, created a palisade atop a large hill, as was the customary design for the Native American communities. The palisades reminded the English of forts, so the name Fort Hill was a later reference to the palisade that Wannalancit had built.
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Rogers Fort Hill Park in ca. 1904
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Zadock Rogers House (1837-38), 196 Rogers Street, in ca. 1904
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N.W. Norcross House (1890), 119 Sherman Street
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F.A. Butterick House (1893), 4 Hanks Street
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Harry Dunlap House (1898), 116 Hanks Street
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Winter carnival at Rogers Fort Hill Park in 1923
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Rogers Street at Hanks Street in 1924
Originally part of Tewksbury, the area included the 247 acre farm of Zadock Rogers, one of three large farms occupying the area by 1805 and by 1834, the area had been annexed to Lowell from Tewksbury. In 1883, Emily and Elizabeth Rogers, the sole survivors of the Rogers Family, sold their entire farm to a real estate development syndicate. A large area was set aside and developed by the syndicate for a public park that was then donated to the City by Elizabeth Rogers in 1886.
The earliest occupied homes in the district date from 1886 and 1887 and include many built in the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles, as well as scattered examples of other period styles such as Stick, Shingle, and Tudor Revival. The oldest building in the district pre-dates the suburban subdivision of the Rogers Farms, the Greek Revival style Zadock Rogers House (1837-38) on Rogers Street. Architect Frederick Stickney designed several buildings in the district including the Moody School (1891), Elizabeth Rogers House (260 Rogers Street, 1892), and the Rogers Hall School Gymnasium (1912).
Rogers Fort Hill Park is the focal point of the neighborhood and is Lowell’s largest picturesquely landscaped park. In 1886, the naturalistically designed upper portion of the park was completed according to the designs of landscape architect Ernest Bowditch. Between 1904 and 1911, the more formally designed lower portion of the park was developed based upon plans developed by the Olmsted firm.
Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District Map
Rogers Fort Hill Park Historic District Brochure