The Norwood-Hyatt House is a historic house at 704 Washington Street in the

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. It is notable as one of the oldest houses in Gloucester, and for its association with

Alpheus Hyatt Alpheus Hyatt (April 5, 1838 – January 15, 1902) was an American zoologist and palaeontologist. Biography Alpheus Hyatt II was born in Washington, D.C. to Alpheus Hyatt and Harriet Randolph (King) Hyatt. He briefly attended the Maryla ...

, who did research in

marine biology Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies s ...

here before establishing the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

Woods Hole Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The population was 781 at ...

. The oldest part of the house is estimated to have been built in 1664 for Francis Norwood, a mariner and early settler of Gloucester. It remained in the hands of Norwood family descendants until 1879, when Cape Ann Bank took the house by foreclosure. It was acquired that year by Audella Hyatt, wife of Alpheus Hyatt. In 1880 Hyatt used the property as a base for marine research, but abandoned that use, finding it unsuitable, after one season. It was owned by descendants of the Hyatts until 1987. The construction history of the house has not been researched in detail. It is a 2.5-story wood-frame structure, with its earliest framing members showing evidence of 17th century construction methods. It was repeatedly expanded, particularly during the Norwood family's ownership, to reach its present configuration. The main block of the house is five window bays wide, and there is a two-story ell added on to the west side (probably in the early 19th century), and several shed-style additions on the northwest part of the house. The foundation is mainly mortared stone, but the eastern wall is made of brick. The interior of the house has significant features that remain from the 17th and 18th centuries. Many original fireplaces and mantels survive, although most of the fireplaces have been covered over. There are wide pine floors, and the walls and woodwork show many examples of 18th and 19th century construction techniques. Many of the walls were painted with artwork, largely by Audella Hyatt. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2000.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Houses in Gloucester, Massachusetts Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts 1664 establishments in Massachusetts

See also

References