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Simmons Block

Open-knowledge reference entry

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 4, 2026
Entity authorityQ7517993
Source-derived summary

The Simmons Block is a historic commercial building in Adams, Massachusetts. Built about 1885, it is one of town's most elaborate examples of Queen Anne Victorian architecture. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Description and history

The Simmons Block is located in downtown Adams, on the west side of Park Street just south of the Adams Free Library. It is a 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a mostly clap boarded exterior. The structure features a variety of rooflines and a small tower in a typical Queen Anne style, with fine turned woodwork on the porches, and applied woodwork decoration. A square tower rises at the right corner, topped by a pyramidal roof. Entrances to separate parts of the building are located in a recessed porch in the base of the tower, and at the left end of the facade, sheltered by a bracketed hood. In between are a combination of plate glass display windows, with a projecting bay at the center that houses round-arch windows.

The building was built sometime between 1885 and 1889 for A.H. Simmons, a successful Adams businessman of the 1880s.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Simmons Block” is open-knowledge reference entry. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Simmons, Block and Open-knowledge, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1885, 1982, 1889—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1885. For this dossier, Simmons, Block and Open-knowledge is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “open-knowledge reference entry” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7517993. Authority coordinates are 42.623, -73.120. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1885, 1982 and 1889.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  • Search vocabulary
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Simmons Block”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Simmons Block primary sources, Simmons Block archive and Simmons research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Simmons Block” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.