" The Cape Cod cottage is nearly the perfect house. A combination of necessity and tradition, the Cape Cod has been a fundamental, iconic, and enduring expression of the American home for almost four hundred years" architectural historian William Morgan
Colonial Heritage
Modern Convenience
Room to Grow - or Retire
Land in what is now Petersham was first granted to colonists in 1733, and was incorporated in 1754. Its town common was laid out along with a series of house lots extending to the north and south, along what is now Main Street. The Historic District is basically linear, extending along Main Street between New Salem Road in the south ad North Street in the north. Most of its 45 buildings were built before 1850. This home, built in 1770, is the third oldest in the Historic District.Here in Petersham you are not just investing in a home - you are investing in a lifestyle.
This home is just a three minute walk to the Petersham Country Store, Petersham Library, Town Hall, Town Office, Petersham Historical Society, churches and a ten minute walk to the Center School and the Petersham Post office.
VIDEO LINKS
LINK Concise History of Petersham
LINK Channel 5 Chronical - Petersham
LINK A Sense of Community in the Quabbin
LINK A sense of Community in the Quabbin Part 2
LINK The History of the Quabbin Reservoir
LINK The Top Hiking Trails in Petersham
LINK The Country Store
Local Education
Unitarian, Congragational & Catholic churches
Petersham Historical Society
Volunteer Fire Department
Town Offices
Country Store
Petersham Center School serves K–6 students in Petersham, Massachusetts. Tucked away in the rural woodlands, our schoolhouse is home to 130 motivated and eager learners. Our serene setting, small classroom sizes, and involved community make PCS a wonderful place to learn and grow.
All Within a Three Minute Walk From This Home
Petersham Town Common
Band Concerts Sunday nights during the summer
Petersham Memorial Library
Town Center
17 SOUTH MAIN STREET, PETERSHAM, MA
This home, with its newly installed Bosch whole house Heat Pump which provides ducted heating and cooling, is located just off the Town Common and is in the Petersham Historic District. It is one of two remaining historic “Half-Cape” structures in Petersham. Built in 1770 and faithfully restored and updated throughout it’s 254 year long history.
This 10 room home with three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, modern kitchen with pellet stove, Formal Dining Room with fireplace, Library with fireplace, Formal Front Hall Entry, Living Room with ornate wood pellet stove, Office/Study, Mudroom/ Pantry and full Basement with walk-in Laundry Room and Workshop has been cared for by the same owners for the last 55 years.
If you’re searching for a home to enjoy everything Central Massachusetts has to offer, look no further than 17 South Main Street, Petersham, Massachusetts. Located less than one hour from Worcester & Amherst, 1.5 hours west of Boston (Commuter Rail located 30 minutes away) . Ten minutes away from the shops and restaurants at Market Basket North Quabbin Commons.
Petersham is the third largest town in Massachusetts geographically (68 Sq. miles) and is the home of the Quabbin Reservoir, Harvard Forest and the Harvard University School of Forestry, numerous Audubon Sanctuary properties and Trustees of Reservation walking trails. In fact more than 85% of Petersham’s land area is protected conservation acreage.
Petersham’s population is just over 1,220 residents.
Working from home? Petersham has recently made available fiber-optic to the home multi-gigabit speed Internet connectivity to the entire town.
The owners of this property have shown that even a home built six years before the start of the American Revolution can be revolutionary in its own way through the recent installation of the latest clean energy ifrastructure. The Bosch whole house heat pump & Central AC , Rheem Hybrid Heat Pump water heater, along with MASS SAVE approved dense packed super insulation, draft remediation and modern LED lighting have brought this home very close to achieving zero greenhouse gas emmisions.
Environmental Commitment
Trustees of Reservations Walking Trails
Bandstand
The Petersham community celebrates the renovation of the Country Store the second oldest continuously operating store of its kind in the country
Petersham Craft and Arts Center
2024 Massachusetts Department of Education accountability results note that Gill Elementary School and Petersham Center School were identified as two of the state’s 66 “strongest‑performing” schools relative to MCAS, referring to the combined accountability percentile which blends achievement, growth, and student demographics, not raw proficiency rates.
Recent Energy saving retrofits now make this property Net Zero Emmisions Ready
The Emporia Home Energy Management Platform is a smart, automated solution that helps you save on energy costs. It works seamlessly in the background to monitor energy usage in real-time, down to individual circuits and appliances, and automatically adjusts connected devices to optimize electricity use and maximize savings.
This home is now eligable for the National Grid Heat Pump Rate resulting in over $100 in savings each month
The view from the Master Bedroom and the Kitchen of adjacent open hay fields located to the East of the property