AT A GLANCE
Why go?
The Norwood Historical Society keeps its home inside a handsome historic house at 93 Day Street, the former residence of Fred Holland Day — a photographer, publisher, historian and philanthropist who shaped the cultural life of this Massachusetts town. The society is both a museum and an archive, and its centerpiece, the F. Holland Day House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.↗
For anyone curious about a small New England town's story — its tanning-industry boom, its notable residents and the rooms they lived in — the society offers a personal, volunteer-run glimpse into local heritage that larger institutions can't match.↗↗
The F. Holland Day House
Built in 1859, the house was the home of Fred Holland Day, the only son of Lewis and Anna Smith Day. Both the Smith and Day families were prominent in the tanning industry that flourished in 19th-century South Dedham, the town later renamed Norwood. Day lived in the house until his death in 1933, and it has been preserved ever since as a window into his world.↗
Originally raised in the Second Empire style, the family completely renovated the house in the early 1890s, commissioning Boston architect J. Williams Beal for a grand Tudor redesign. With Day himself taking a leading role in the innovative plan, the interior blends Victorian and Arts & Crafts influences. Today the house holds eight fireplaces, uniquely designed rooms, second- and third-floor balconies overlooking a central Great Hall, and beautiful oak and mahogany paneling and woodwork. Original paintwork, fabric wall coverings, carpets, period light fixtures and Day family possessions survive throughout.
