GEORGETOWN — The Massachusetts Historical Commission is providing consultant services to assist the Georgetown Historical Commission to document more than 50 historic properties along Elm and East Main streets. The work is being supported with federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior and administered through the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

The survey project emerged from the town's master planning process, which revealed the residents' desire to preserve the historic rural scale and character of the town and ensure that the town's historic integrity is maintained.

Compiling a historic properties inventory is an essential first step, which will be documented on MHC inventory forms. These inventory forms address the first task of preservation planning — identification.

Larson Fisher Associates of Woodstock, N.Y., a firm specializing in historic preservation and planning, will undertake the historic resource survey. LFA has extensive experience in such work, having completed similar projects throughout the Northeast. Neil Larson and Kathryn Grover will be the personnel spending time in Georgetown over the next six months as they conduct background research and complete fieldwork to document the current conditions of the selected properties.

Georgetown's history began in 1667 when Rowley set aside 3,000 acres in the western part of the town to be used as village grazing land. The parcel was six miles from Old Rowley and situated along the main road from Salem to New Hampshire. Elm Street is the oldest street in Georgetown, having been laid out in 1686. The road from Rowley passed in front of the former church, located on the Green, and continued down Elm Street to Boxford and Andover. The present road to Georgetown Square did not exist until 1740.

The most significant historical area in town is located on East Main and Elm streets. The oldest structure, which is still standing at this intersection, is the circa-1660 Captain Samuel Brocklebank House. Along the length of Elm Street are many well-preserved 18th and 19th century homes. Georgetown is fortunate that many homes and structures built in the early years of its settlement can still be found on most of the older roads and streets.

LFA will begin by collecting the information already known about the town and its early inhabitants. Residents and property owners who are in this area and have specific information about their properties along Elm Street are encouraged to convey it to the Historical Commission either directly to its members or at its next regularly scheduled meeting held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Hall basement meeting room. People are invited to share any relevant documentary material they may have, such as historic photographs, scrapbooks, deed information, architectural plans, etc.

Town Planner Nick Cracknell expressed strong enthusiasm for the project. "We are looking forward to having this historic neighborhood surveyed so we will have a firm basis on which to base future land-use decisions along the adjacent Route 133 commercial corridor. Having a better understanding of Georgetown's distinct architectural heritage will help us make better land-use decisions and preserve and strengthen the historic resources of the community."

For further information, contact Historical Commission members Ed Des Jardins at 978-352-9763 or Joe Knapp at 978-352-8526.