Home Care In Northbridge, MA

NORTHBRIDGE — Lisa Pepin appeared stunned. She stood near the heavily damaged Oakhurst Manor, smoking a cigarette, and wondering what her next move will be.

"I lost everything," said Pepin, who lived in the manor since December. The historic property on Hill Street was hit by a five-alarm fire overnight, with flames breaking through the roof as firefighters from several communities converged on the scene.

The blaze, reported about 1 a.m. Friday, heavily damaged the upper floors of the sprawling building. There were no reported injuries, and the cause is under investigation.

It's the second setback for Pepin in the past year. Her longtime boyfriend, Nicholas Perrone, a chef at Ed Hyder's Mediterranean Market Place in Worcester, died in December 2022, a year before Pepin moved into the manor.

"I was heading to bed when the fire started," said Pepin. "I was restarting my life (after Perrone's death), and this happens. I've lost everything twice."

Clarence Risher stood near Pepin, said he owned the manor, and declined comment.

John Hendrikse grew up in Northbridge, and owns a home next to the manor. "This is a real shame," said Hendrikse on Friday morning as he surveyed the damage from his driveway. He noticed the fire at 12:45 a.m., woke up his wife, ran outside, and watched as fire trucks doused the the manor with water.

"Obviously, it's not salvageable," said Hendrikse, noting his three children slept through the ordeal and is thankful the winds didn't shift to send the flames over to his property.

'Most magnificent mansion that's ever been built in town'

Surveying the damage as cars slowly rolled past on Hill Street to get a glimpse of the wreckage, Ken Warchol spoke of the manor's historical significance. Warchol is chairman of the Northbridge Historical Commission, an organization he's been a part of for 45 years.

"It saddens me," said Warchol, adding, "It's the most magnificent mansion that's ever been built in town."

Warchol noted the Whitin family's connection to the manor and the growth of the textile industry in Northbridge. Paul Whitin built the first textile mill in town in 1809. His son, John C. Whitin had a patent on the cotton picker, and in 1870 Whitin Machine Works was founded. By the 1920s, Warchol said, it was the largest textile operation in the world, with 5,000 workers.

John Whitin's grandson, Chester Lasell, whose last name is on a wooden sign outside the manor, built the home in 1890, according to Warchol. His sadness is tied to a home that represents the town's textile heyday and the wealth of the Whitin family.

Charles Thompson approached as Warchol delved into history. He's lived in town all his life, 72 years, and "sad" is how he described his emotions. Thompson is retired and ran the George Marson Whitin Community Center on Main Street in Northbridge for 33 years. He mentioned many groups occupied the manor through the years, including the Episcopal Church and weekly fellowships held by the Perkins School for the Blind.

"I don't know how they going to save (the manor)," said Thompson as he looked at the charred property.

Former treatment center for troubled priests

An artist group, Estate of Mind, occupied the property at the time of the fire. It issued an online statement: "We are relieved to report that all residents & guests who were inside the manor exited safely and there are no known injuries at the time of posting."

The organization, which runs what it describes as a community focused on the arts, is the latest of a series of owners and tenants of the 89-room estate.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston owned the property from 1973 to 1990, then passed it on to the Catholic Diocese of Worcester, which used the mansion for its House of Affirmation, a facility for troubled priests, and later converted it into the Oakhurst Retreat and Conference Center.

The Diocese of Worcester and businessman James M. Knott Sr. were onetime owners. The mansion was used as a retreat center. In 2019, the property was sold to Risher, who said he planned a co-living space.

The property is listed on Zillow as being for sale by owner, with a price tag of $2.5 million.

Return to telegram.com for more on this story.

NORTHBRIDGE, Mass. — For the last 30 years, Joe Holland had a front-row seat when the Blackstone River floods — including in 2005, when more than a foot of rain in a matter of days caused catastrophic flooding across New England.

“Dumpsters were coming down... propane tanks,” he said. “The water was up completely over the bridge. I didn’t have any water when I went to sleep. The next morning it was coming up the stairs.”

Nothing like that happened this week. Yes, Holland and many others who live along the Blackstone dealt with water in the basement — but it could be measured in inches, not feet. Still, Northbridge residents are keeping an eye on the weekend forecast — and the possibility of more heavy rain.

“We get another two inches of rain Saturday it’ll be back up here in my yard and another foot deep in my basement,” Holland said. “We’ll be ready for it. I got generators and all kinds of extra pumps. I’m ready for Mother Nature. But most of the time she wins.”

But Holland said he doesn’t anticipate a serious problem with the added rain unless the power goes out.

On First Street, evidence of Monday’s flooding hasn’t had a chance to evaporate. A giant pool of water spans one yard. The sump pump at Domenic Elicone’s house continues to drain the basement.

“There’s nothing we can really do about it,” Elicone said. “It comes into our basement. All we can really do is wait till it goes away.”

Elicone said living by the river has its charms — until it doesn’t.

“It’s cool when it’s not raining,” he said. “When it’s not raining it’s nice to look at. But as soon as it starts raining it’s like, Oh, no. Is the water going to flood?”

Seventy-two hours after the last storm the Blackstone is still running high and running fast. That concerns Northbridge Fire Chief David White, who hopes kayakers and other boaters aren’t foolish enough to launch anything this weekend.

“Couple of inches of rain more on top of what we’ve already got may bring it back up to flood stage,” White said. “We’re monitoring it as we speak.”

However, like Holland, White isn’t expecting a deluge.

“We’ve lived along the river our whole life and we kind of know what it’s going to do and what it’s not going to do,” he said.

A devastating inferno engulfed the historic Oakhurst Manor in Northbridge, Massachusetts, leading to a massive fire operation earlier today. Firefighters were called to the scene at 120 Hill St. and arrived to find the mansion ablaze, with flames tearing through the second and third floors, prompting a switch to defensive attack to combat the rampaging fire. The Grafton Fire Department, which assisted Northbridge, shared images showing numerous ladder trucks encircling the building, actively battling flames and smoke that were visible from the roof. "These buildings are old and very hard to put out. We went to a defensive attack quickly," Northbridge Fire Chief David White said, as reported by NBC10 Boston.

The vast response included multiple area communities and quickly escalated into a five-alarm fire. By 6 a.m., the blaze was under control, yet firefighters continued tirelessly to extinguish remaining hot spots throughout the morning. Local authorities, in conjunction with the State Fire Marshal’s Office, are thoroughly investigating the incident to ascertain the cause. The historic building, whose construction dates back to 1890, was home to seven residents who all managed safely to escape without injury, according to WHDH News.

Oakhurst Manor, also known as the Whitin Lasell Estate, previously belonged to the Catholic Archdiocese and served as a retreat before transforming into an event center named Estate of Mind. The property was renowned for supporting artists and hosting events. In light of the disaster, Victoria Dobbs, the owner of Estate of Mind, confirmed, "Due to a fire early this morning at Oakhurst Manor, all events on Friday March 1 are cancelled," in a statement posted on their website. She further assured "that all residents & guests who were inside the manor exited safely and there are no known injuries at the time of posting." She promised to reach out to clients with upcoming bookings to provide information on next steps, as reported by NBC Boston.

Despite the severity of the fire, officials like Chief White remain hopeful the mansion won't be a total loss. "It's a historic building, as you can tell," White told NBC10 Boston. "It's one of the old mansions in town. It does have a little value there." The full scale of the damage is still to be assessed as the community reckons with the near destruction of a significant piece of its heritage. Residents, meanwhile, have found temporary refuge in another structure on the property.

Tuesday was a lucky day for lottery players in every corner of Massachusetts, with eight winners coming forward to claim a $1 million prize and seven $100,000 prizes.

The $1 million prize claimed on Feb. 20 was from the “$2,000,000 50X Cashword” scratch ticket game, which costs $10 per ticket to play. The winning ticket was sold at a Cumberland Farms gas station located in Northbridge.

Three of the seven $100,000 prizes won or claimed Tuesday were from winning tickets sold in Woburn, with two winning tickets even sold at the same store. The other four prizes were split between retailers in Western Massachusetts and along the border near New Hampshire.

One was from the daily “Mass Cash” drawing. The winning numbers for the drawing were 12, 13, 15, 26 and 32; the winning ticket was sold in Woburn from a shop called Lucky Mart.

The other $100,000 prize sold at the Woburn store was from the “$15,000,000 Money Maker” scratch ticket game, which costs $30 to play.

The third $100,000 prize claimed from a ticket sold in Woburn was from the “Quick $100s” scratch ticket game; it costs $2 to play, and the winning ticket was sold at a hall called the Loyal Order of Moose.

The winning $100,000 tickets sold in Western Massachusetts were purchased at shops located at both ends of the region.

One was from the “$15,000,000 Money Maker” game and had been sold in East Longmeadow from a Pride Station and Store, while the other was a “$100,000 Extra Play” ticket bought in Adams from Mahant Oasis Liquors.

Finally, the two $100,00 prizes sold along the border with New Hampshire were purchased in Athol and in Haverhill.

The ticket sold in Athol was from the “$300X” scratch ticket game and was bought at a store called Country Convenience, while the Haverhill prize was bought at a Circle K and was from the “Millions” scratch ticket game.

Overall, there were at least 1,031 lottery prizes worth $600 or more won or claimed in Massachusetts on Tuesday, including 34 in Springfield and 39 in Worcester.

The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.

So far, the largest lottery prize won in the state of Massachusetts in 2024 was a $4 million prize claimed on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

The property with Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center and Whitney Place Assisted Living Residences in Northbridge sold for $3.7 million, becoming SALMON Health’s second facility property to sell in the last six months, according to the Worcester South District Registry of Deeds.

The three-building property is located at 85 Beaumont Dr. in Northbridge. It has been operated by SALMON Health and Retirement, a Milford-based senior care provider with locations throughout Massachusetts, since 1960 when the family-owned business bought the property.

In the deal closed Jan. 19, the seller was an entity registered to Daniel Salmon, Jr., who is the son of SALMON Health’s founders and acted as administrator for the company. The $3.7-million price only included the property transfer and not necessarily the businesses themselves.

The buying entity was registered to the Norwood address of AdviniaCare, a nursing home facility with locations throughout Massachusetts and Florida.

"The sale of Northbridge and closure of Worcester reflect the realities of running stand-alone skilled nursing centers in Massachusetts," SALMON Health & Retirement said in a statement. "This repositioning will allow SALMON to invest in its current locations. This investment will further benefit our residents through updated buildings and innovative programming."

The 85 Beaumont Dr. location is listed on AdviniaCare’s website, but not SALMON Health’s.

The property includes three nursing homes; one is 47,000 square feet, one is 27,000, and one is almost 5,700, according to Northbridge’s assessors’ data. The property is now assessed by the Town of Northbridge at almost $8.4 million.

In August, SALMON Health's Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center on Plantation Street in Worcester was sold to UMass Memorial Health for $23.5 million. That property was sold by Toledo-based real estate firm, Welltower, Inc. A month later in September, SALMON opened a new facility in Medway.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this story stated SALMON Health sold a Worcester property on Plantation Street in August. The actual seller of that property was Welltower, Inc., and SALMON was a tenant.