B.M.C. Durfee High School is an historic former high school building at 289 Rock Street in Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River, Massachusetts

Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...

.

The school was built in 1886 and added to the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 1981. It was restored in the early 1990s and is now operated as a probate and family courthouse by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Historical background

The school was built as a donation from Mrs. Mary B. Young to the people of the city of Fall River, in memory of her son Bradford Matthew Chaloner Durfee, who had died at a young age in 1872, leaving a sizable inheritance.

George A. Clough, a Boston architect was chosen to design the building. Ground was broken in August 1883. The first story of the school is constructed of native Fall River Granite

Fall River granite

Fall River Granite is a Precambrian bedrock underlying the City of Fall River, Massachusetts and surrounding areas along the eastern shores of Narragansett Bay. It was formed 600 million years ago, as part of the Avalon terrane....

, while the stone of the upper portions is from Mason, New Hampshire

Mason, New Hampshire

Mason is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,382 at the 2010 census. Mason, together with Wilton, is home to Russell-Abbott State Forest.-History:...

. The new high school was formally dedicated to the city on June 15, 1887.
The building occupies a commanding position atop a hill in the city's Highlands neighborhood, and is visible from miles around. Even today, the school's sports teams are known as the "Durfee Hilltoppers".

Recent history

In 1978, the city opened a new, much larger high school in the north end, also named "B.M.C. Durfee High School". The old high school remained vacant until the early 1990s when it was taken over by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, for use as a Probate Court House. The restoration was completed in the mid-1990s, and today, the building has been well preserved for future generations to admire.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts
• Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts)
  Highlands Historic District (Fall River, Massachusetts)
  Highlands Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by June, Cherry, and Weetamoe Streets, Lincoln, Highland, President, North Main, and Hood Avenues in Fall River, Massachusetts. The district lies just north of the Lower Highlands Historic District .The Highlands Historic District...
  
  
• B.M.C. Durfee High School (present)
  B.M.C. Durfee High School (present)
  B.M.C. Durfee High School is a public high school located in the city of Fall River, Massachusetts. It is a part of Fall River Public Schools.-Fall:*Boy's and Girl's Cross Country*Boy's and Girl's Soccer*Cheerleading*Girl's Swimming*Girl's Volleyball...