| Watson Academy | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
 | |
  Show map of New Hampshire Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Academy St., Epping, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°2′36″N 71°4′33″W / 43.04333°N 71.07583°W / 43.04333; -71.07583 |
| Area | 0.7 acres (0.28 ha) |
| Built | 1883 (1883) |
| Architect | Charles E. Joy |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000625 |
| Added to NRHP | November 9, 1982 |
Watson Academy is a historic school building on Academy Street in Epping, New Hampshire, United States. Built in 1883, it is the only known surviving Queen Anne style school building in southern New Hampshire. The building, which served as Epping's high school until 1966, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Description and history
Watson Academy is located in geographically central Epping but north of the town center, on the north side of Academy Street between Prescott Road and Main Street. The building is basically rectangular in form, with symmetrical single-story wings extending the front facade, and is finished in a combination of wooden clapboards and fish-scale shingles. It has a variety of gables and window sizes and shapes, typical of the Queen Anne period, as well as Stick style applied woodwork. It was originally adorned with decoratively corbelled brick chimneys and a conical tower; these features have been removed.
The school was built in 1883, and is the only known Queen Anne style school building in southern New Hampshire. It was designed by Dover architect Charles E. Joy, who moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1884. The school was built with funds bequeathed by Daniel Watson Ladd, a local businessman, in order to provide secondary school educational opportunities to students whose families could not afford to send them to other private academies. The school was managed by private trustees for five years, and then turned over to the town. It served as Epping's high school from 1888 until 1966.
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "NRHP nomination for Watson Academy". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-07-27.
- Hess, Jeffrey A. and Paul Clifford Larson. St. Paul's Architecture: A History. 2006.
- School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New Hampshire
- Queen Anne architecture in New Hampshire
- Buildings and structures completed in 1883
- Buildings and structures in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
- National Register of Historic Places in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
- Epping, New Hampshire