Tavern (Former)

What remains of Potterville is a small cluster of buildings on the original western segment of Plainfield Pike as it passed through Scituate before its truncation by the reservoir and relocation. Two structures, somewhat separated, stand out: the former Potterville District 7 Schoolhouse, now a community center, and the tavern. Both are plain carpentered structures. Probably at the time the schoolhouse was converted to a community center the entrance was shifted from its expected place in front to the rear of the building, perhaps to be within easier reach of its still extant privy. The tavern began as a house for an E. Fish or Fiske; by 1730–1731 it was functioning as a tavern. The eastern end contained a kitchen in the basement open to the downhill side, dining room on the first floor, and ballroom above. It ceased being a tavern when Abner Potter bought the house and built two dams and a mill for the manufacture of wooden textile bobbins on the stream behind his property. It remained in the Potter family until 1949. The door frames appear to be Greek Revival alterations. This withered village is additionally significant for building because of the nearby Nipmuc quarries, once a source for granite, now also inoperative.