Norwood House

Welcome to the Norwood house which was built in 2007 and serves as the welcome center to the park. The design was based on one of the most famous tiny houses built by Thomas Jefferson in the late 1700’s called the “Honeymoon cottage”. This building was donated to the park by Congressman Charlie Norwood’s family.

During Colonial times, buildings were painted with whitewash which was a mixture of lime and water. This was done to prevent the mildew from growing on the outside of buildings. The color of this building is similar to what whitewash looked like. Colonists used clapboards for the outside to protect their homes from the weather. Using these overlapping wood planks on the sides of their homes kept out the winter winds yet allowed the house to breathe in the summer. This method was considered "dressy", especially when many of the earlier homes were log structures.

The two cupolas, spelled C-U-P-O-L-A, on the roof add natural light and ventilation to the building. These were not part of the Jefferson design but were common amongst colonial buildings.

Inside the building, you can see several awards the park has won hanging on the walls. We modified the original design to include a bathroom to provide a place for brides to get ready for their weddings at the park. The table you see was hand made by a member of the Olde Towne Preservation Association. The OTPA is responsible for maintaining the park and their mission is to educate the public on the historical significance of North Augusta. Their members are dedicated to making the Living History park an interesting and educational place where people from all over the world can come to learn about life during the Colonial era.

When we have events at the park, you will be greeted here by reenactors dressed in period clothing that will be happy to answer questions about the park, Colonial history and the role North Augusta played during this part of American history. You will find reenactors at each of our buildings that bring history alive while giving you a glimpse of what life was like in the Central Savannah River Area during early American history.