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| A Little about her History... |
Norwell (inc. 1888), formerly
known as South Scituate (1849), f.k.a., Scituate (1636) |
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Norwell can't be understood completely until you
know a little about her history. A glimpse at the town seal tells you about the
importance of boat building. The genesis of boat building was
purely economic. In
the early seventeenth century, as the British Navy began building more ships and the
demand for merchant vessels increased, wood became scarce in Britain. The cost to build a
ship in New England was half the cost of building one in England. Trees that had
grown unhindered for 150 centuries covered the countryside: the forest canopy was 200 feet
throughout most of the northeast woodlands. So strong, stout pine and oak was there
for the taking. Soon a thriving boat building business sprung up along the banks of
the North River to take advantage of this "inexhaustible" supply source. Most of the boats that were built here were small working coastal
boats, as the North River shipyards didn't have the depth required for
larger boats. But the Columbia, America's first ship to circumnavigate
the globe, and after which the mighty Columbia River is named, was
built on the North River! The
largest ship ever built on the North River was built by William Delano
at the Wanton Shipyard and was called the Mount Vernon.
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Norwell was originally settled in about 1628. In
1637 Cornet Robert Stetson was granted a tract of land about four miles along
the North River. This area was part of Old Scituate (incorporated in 1636,
and including all of Norwell, most of Hanover, and portions of present day
Cohasset, Marshfield, Pembroke, and Hanson).
(Learn about the Stetson Kindred at http://stetsonkindred.org)
With little tillable land, early settlers were quick to take advantage of river marsh
grass for cattle forage. Marsh grass was hauled upriver from otherwise inaccessible
marshes on large flat-bottomed boats, called Gundalows, which were capable of hauling from
3 to 8 tons of salt hay up river. Haying on the lower river ended after the Portland
Gale of 1898, a monstrous November hurricane which moved the mouth of the North River
about a mile north of its old mouth, to share the mouth with the South River, as it does
today.
1849 Norwell split from Scituate and became know as South
Scituate. In 1888, it
changed its name to Norwell, after Henry Norwell, a wealthy Boston merchant and benefactor
to the small rural town.
(Thanks to Bob Hynes for this
old Scituate map image)
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Other names that people voted on for Norwell were,
Deane, Hatherly, Cushing, Standish and Norwell. All of the non-selected names got 2 votes, Norwell got 215.
| By 1790, 90% of Massachusetts was pasture. Norwell was
still a part of Scituate, and nearly a hundred years would pass, and over 1000 great
sailing vessels would continue to be built along the North River, before Norwell took her
new name. One of the most famous ships that was launched from the North River
was the S.S. Columbia, the first American-built vessel to circumnavigate the globe, and
after whom the Columbia River (which it "discovered") and British Columbia were
named. In 1801, a record 30 ships were built on the River, and in 1812, the 464-ton Mount Vernon was built at Wanton Shipyard, the River's largest, just south of River
Street, near Blackthorne Lane.
Eventually, the ships that merchants were demanding were too large (and drawing too
much below the water line) to be built in the North River, and boat building died.
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| Norwell also has a long history of farming. In fact,
until early this century, just about everyone was a farmer for much of their own food.
Even doctors, lawyers, landlords, and other business people tended a family farm
for their personal crops and livestock. Today, look around and notice the open
fields. These fields are still hayed twice a year by a group of Norwellians
for their sheep, cattle, goats, horses and other hay-eating critters. The
"Currie Barn" pictured here to the right, was large a dairy operation for many
years, and has been wonderfully restored by its current owner for your viewing pleasure as
you approach Norwell Center on Route 123. |
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Now in the Year 2003, most of the pastures are gone, replaced by new
growth forests, homes, and businesses. Norwell Center, at the crossroads of River
Street, Central Street (an extension of Grove St, to Norwell Avenue to Central) and Main
Streeet (State Route 123) was the traditional business center. Today it still is
home to an insurance agency, travel agency, convenience stores, gourmet food store, restaurants / eateries,and gift
shops and other offices. In addition are the Cushing Center, the James Library
and Center for
the Arts, the First Unitarian Church,
and the former Central Fire Station (main station since moved to Route 53).
For more on Norwell's continuing farming character, click to the Rural
Norwell page.
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