(“Yellow Room” in 1893 inventory)
- Anna (Smith) Day was born 1836 and died in 1922. The painting shows her at 4 or 5 years old. Her silk gown and jewelry illustrate the Smith family’s wealth. The cradle beneath the portrait was Mrs. Day’s childhood cradle.
- Photographs taken during Anna Day’s lifetime show her room furnished in a delightfully feminine fashion, with a set of painted furniture. The brass bed, hung with flowered draperies, stood to the left of the fireplace.
- The unusual long, narrow yellow fireplace tiles are Arts & Crafts in design. Locking glass cabinets were built over the fireplace to display and protect small, treasured objects.
- The “balcony” was a bright, pleasant sitting area with a view of the town. Mrs. Day often breakfasted there.
- Mrs. Day’s adjoining lavatory has a window overlooking the Great Hall.
- Mrs. Day was ill for several years. In 1916, Fred Day returned from Maine to be in the house with her. He visited her in this room often until her death on July 1, 1922 when he wrote in his diary: “A very peaceful end came to mother this morning during a gentle rain.”
The room currently houses the Historical Society’s collection of antique dolls, children’s and doll’s furniture, and playthings of the past.
Day House Tour
This was Fred Day’s personal library. It connects by a small set of stairs to his bedroom above, enabling him to use this area of the house as a private space. The room is a unique, multi-level space. The desk…
(“GREEN and RED ROOM”(in 1893 inventory) This was Fred Holland Day’s bedroom and study from 1893 until 1919. A writing desk drops down behind the doors to the right in the window area. A narrow draped bed stood in the…
(“BLUE ROOM” (in 1893 inventory) Fred Holland Day referred to this room as “The Colonial Room” and initially housed his collection of local history artifacts and objects here. Later the room was used by Day as a bedroom from 1919…
The needlework tapestry at the top of the stairs came from the Beacon Street home of John Hancock (demolished 1863). It was given to the Society by the Honorable Frank G. Allen, a Norwood resident and Governor of Massachusetts from…
The Norwood Historical Society’s Fred Holland Day House Until his death in 1933, the Day House was the residence of Fred Holland Day, noted photographer, publisher, historian, and philanthropist. F.H. Day, the only child of wealthy, indulgent parents, had…