During the first week of May, volunteers from Serve With Liberty, a Liberty Mutual program, worked with Bryan Burns and Cashman Kerr Prince, to accomplish some much-needed cleaning and organizing at the Day House.
We appreciate their help and look forward to their return to help with new projects in 2025.
In May, Town Meeting members approved our request for CPA funding to help restore the fireplace in the blue Colonial Room of the Day House.
The restoration will include the repair and replacement of hand painted Delft tiles acquired by F Holland Day in the Netherlands during the 1890-1892 renovation of the Day House.
For more information on the restoration, please visit the project page on our website: https://norwoodhistoricalsociety.org/fireplace-restoration/
Society Board members Linda Rau, Laurie Kearney, Karen DeNapoli, and Cashman Kerr-Prince were at the Norwood Pride Picnic on June 1st where they handed our rainbow “Entering Norwood” magnets.
On May 18, Laurie Kearney represented the Society at the Canton Heritage Festival. The event is held at the Paul Revere Historic Site and brings together families, historians, local entrepreneurs, musicians, performers, and residents of all ages as it celebrates the region’s past and living present through locally sourced performances, a farmer’s market, and other family activities.
Third Grade Historical Walking Tour
During third grade, students study the history of Norwood and each spring they have a walking tour field trip to visit historic sites in town.
On June 7, 54 students from the Balch Elementary School and their 12 teachers and chaperones took the public 34E bus from South Norwood and were treated to tours of the Day House by George Curtis and Laurie Kearney.
The students were energetic and excited to begin their tours after learning so much about Norwood’s history this year.
Several objects in the house attracted a lot of attention and prompted questions from the students. They were fascinated by Norwood’s first library (you can read about it here), and the toys and dolls in Mrs. Day’s bedroom were a big hit.
It was such a pleasure to spend time with these students, and we can’t wait to host them for tours again next year.
On June 8, the class of ’59 held their 65th class reunion at Conrad’s. After a pleasant lunch and some catching up, the group answered some Norwood trivia questions.
When the reunion came to an end, Judith Diggs Potter invited her classmates to join her for a visit to the Day House, where her great uncle, Alfred Tanneyhill, worked for the Day family a century ago.
Classmates Ellen Bloom Bayley, Susan Crawford Fischer, Elaine Ostergren Groh, and Diana Long Obrien joined Judy at the Day House, where Linda Murphy Rau (class of ’66) gave a talk about the history of Norwood.
Afterward, George Curtis (class of ’93) gave members of the group a tour of the Day House while Linda reminisced with the rest of the group about 1950s and 60s Norwood.
Judith Diggs Potter was shown an exhibit about her family that’s currently on display in Fred Holland Day’s bedroom. You can see a virtual version of the exhibit here: https://norwoodhistoricalsociety.org/the-tanneyhill-diggs-families-of-norwood
Third graders from the Oldham Elementary School had their history walking tour field trip on June 13. Linda Rau, Laurie Kearney, and George Curtis guided the 68 students and 13 chaperones and teachers on tours through the house.
This was the largest group of students we have had in the Day House at once, and they were a curious, well-behaved group. Each group asked lots of great questions about Norwood’s history, the Day House, and the Day family during their tours, before having a refreshing snack on the porch of the Day House.
We can’t wait to have the third graders back again next year, and we hope we can expand the tours to all of the schools in Norwood in the future.
Students from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design began work on a senior film project at the F. Holland Day House on June 14.
This is the second student film being shot in the Day House in the past few years.
Local filmmaker Jerry Kelleher also shot some scenes in the Day House for this film, “F. Holland Day & The Art of Photography”.
In 2022, we were approached by a production company working on a Disney+ TV series about using the Day House as one of the main locations in the show. Unfortunately, the series was put on hold.
The Day House is likely to remain a sought-after filming location for filmmakers due to its unique historic character and charm.
Norwood’s 3rd Juneteenth Celebration
Laurie Kearney, Karen DeNapoli, and George Curtis attended the 3rd annual Juneteenth Celebration in Norwood on June 15.
It was a beautiful day with lots of entertaining musical acts, dance groups, poets and speakers, including NHS Board Member Laurie Kearney.
Laurie, has done extensive research on the Tanneyhill/Diggs/Grandison family, who were the first African American family in Norwood. She gave a short speech in which she shared some of their story with the crowd.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Tanneyhill, Diggs, and Grandison families and how they made an impact on Norwood, please read this wonderful article written by NHS Vice President Cashman Kerr Prince.
The Tanneyhill & Diggs Families of Norwood
The Norwood Historical Society gratefully acknowledges the donations, shared material, support, and assistance of Judith Diggs Potter. We would not tell this story ithout her generous contributions.