SUTTON — This old stone building still has rings on its outside walls to tie a horse’s reins.
Inside, there are arches from the days when part of the building served as a Catholic church.
post office, social hall and a Catholic church over the years.”/The building on a hill that overlooks Manchaug Village and the Blackstone River has served many purposes since it was built in the 1800s, from the aforementioned church to municipal offices and a general store.
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Today, it serves as the new home for District V House, a home design retail store.
Owner Janice Burke, who was born and raised in Worcester’s District 5, has spent most of her adult life as an interior designer. She decided to open a home decor retail site to combine her love for design and “all things home.”
“I looked all over Worcester” to find a suitable location, said Burke. After some research, she found what she was looking for — plenty of space, parking, “a really nice location.”
History of the location
According to the Sutton Historical Society, the Manchaug Company Store Building at 356 Manchaug Road was built circa 1868 by the B. B. & R. Knight Company (the largest private cotton manufacturer in the world as reported by the New York Times in the early part of the 20th century).
The building at various times housed a general store and market, village library, post office, in addition to serving as a gathering and polling place.
All the rough ashlar granite used in the Manchaug building construction was quarried right in the Manchaug area off Whitins and Putnam Hill roads.
The community hall on the second floor, which seated 300, hosted