The house lots in Swedeville, when originally sold, were empty lots, ready to have a house constructed. What kind of house, single family or multi-family, large or small, how close it was to neighboring properties…or even if one or two structures were to be built on the property, were decisions the owners made. These houses were built before Norwood had adopted building rules and regulations. There are quite a few single-family homes here in Swedeville. The people who built them, lived in them for decades, sometimes they remained in the family for a couple of generations.
Some folks here in Swedeville, built multi-family homes, this way they could live in one apartment and rent the others, this was a good way to provide a secondary income. The majority of these apartment buildings house two or three families, however, there is one four-family dwelling on Savin Avenue. It should also be noted that many of these buildings, whether one, two, three or four family, built their homes in such a way that each room had a closet and several doors, which when shut, could create a private rentable room.
As Swedeville grew, a few people purchased lots not for a house but to build shops, saunas or churches. The majority of these buildings are still standing on Cedar, Street, Chapel Street and Savin Avenue, but they no longer provide the service they were built for. These buildings have been converted to private homes, but if you study them, you can tell what they had once been. Today, Swedeville has become solely a residential neighborhood, and the majority of the residents are not related to the families who originally built and settled here. However, it should be pointed out, many descendants of Swedeville’s original families do still live in the area. By exploring the streets that make up Swedeville, and incorporating the stories of those who lived here and pairing them with the development of the land, Swedeville becomes a neighborhood with a rich history.
Links:
Cedar Street: A New Neighborhood is Established
The Cedar Street Bridge and Beyond
Savin Avenue: The Neighborhood Expands
Melville Avenue: A Place Called Home
Chapel Street:A Main Road with a Long History
Back to the Norwood Neighborhoods Exhibit main page –>
More About Swedeville:
A section of the 1876 map of Winslow Park which also show some of the Winslow homes. From the corner of Cedar Street down to Walpole Street is not actually part of Swedeville. The Winslow family had owned the land…
The Plimpton Press is one of the businesses attracted to Norwood. A map of Swedeville. When Norwood was established in 1872, it was largely an agricultural village. Town planners who wanted to build-up the town, created incentives for business to…
Four family building on Savin Avenue. (photo LLKearney) The house lots in Swedeville, when originally sold, were empty lots, ready to have a house constructed. What kind of house, single family or multi-family, large or small, how close it…
Chapel Court lot plans showing names of lot owners (Norfolk County Deeds) By the early 1900s, the Finns began arriving in a steady stream and settling in Norwood. In February of 1904, eighteen local Finns decided to organize a labor…
Looking down Savin Avenue towards Chapel Street. (photo LLKearney) In May of 1899, Melville Smith bought approximately eight acres from Clara Robbins, the widow of John Robbins, and within a month he had divided up this land into 28 house…
View looking down Cedar Street today. (photo LLKearney) In 1888, George Winslow & George Peterson laid out Cedar Street, Quincy Avenue, and the lower portion of Savin Avenue, creating 38 house lots. What is interesting about these plans is that…