- Built
- c. 1750
- Style
- Central-chimney timber frame Colonial
- Neighborhood
- South End District
- MACRIS
- NWB.2921 ↗
History
8 Atwood Street was built by Moses Short (1725-1760), a cordwainer (a shoemaker who makes shoes from new leather), and carpenter who married Elizabeth Noyes in 1750, the same year he built the house. They had four children: Joanna, Nicholas, Hanna, and Elizabeth.
The Short family had much land in what was then Newbury (until 1764, when it became Newburyport). Moses Short probably built 10 and 8 Ann Street around 1750 and had land in the back and on either side.
Nicholas Short inherited the house from his father and passed it on to his son Moses Short II, a carpenter like his grandfather. Moses Short was also very involved in creating the Baptist denomination in Newburyport. “The first meeting regarding the formation of a new Baptist church in Newburyport took place on May 26, 1804, at the home of Moses Short on Ann Street. Five men — Jesse Dorman, David Burbank, Moses Short, James Norris, and Jonathan Floyd- attended the first meeting and agreed to continue meeting weekly to discuss the church. Meeting again at Moses Short's house on May 31, 1804, the men discussed finding a recurring place for meeting.
In 1822, Moses Short sold the house to Daniel Smith, an apothecary. 1826 Daniel Smith sold 8 and 10 Ann Street to Samuel Todd, a house painter on the 1851 Map. Samuel died in 1865, leaving his wife, Mary, and Thomas Todd. Thomas Todd was put under guardianship by his mother for the reason of insanity shortly after his father’s death.
Atwood Street was laid out before 1770. It was called Ann Street for nearly a century. In 1856, the name was changed to Atwood Street after Margaret Atwood. It is one of four streets in Newburyport named after a woman.
Planning work on this building?
Reviews that may apply
Newburyport Historic District (National Register, listed 1984), contributing in the 1984 nomination · Demolition Control Overlay District (DCOD) · Parcel 19-17 · Zone R2
Zoning Board of Appeals decides
Listed as contributing in 1984, so removing more than 25% of its exterior walls, counted cumulatively since 2014 and including walls enclosed by an addition or openings filled in, needs a DCOD special permit; the Board may grant one only if the building retains no substantial remaining market value or reasonable use. The Historical Commission sends an advisory report. Replacing siding, or windows and doors in their openings, does not count.
Newburyport Historical Commission decides whether to impose a delay
Built c. 1750, so 75 or more years old: removing more than 25% of its exterior walls, changing the roofline (pitch, towers, cupolas, anything projecting above the roof), moving it, or adding a dormer that misses the setback and pitch rules is "demolition" under the demolition delay ordinance. The Commission holds a hearing within 30 days and may impose a delay of up to 18 months. In the DCOD the wall test goes to the Zoning Board instead; the Commission keeps roofline, roof pitch and dormer work. Parts of the building documented as younger than 75 years are excluded on a written determination by the Zoning Administrator.
Code of Ordinances ch. 5 art. X, §§5-307–5-308 (June 2026) ↗
Zoning Administrator first stop
Every project starts with a zoning determination from the Zoning Administrator, which says which of these reviews apply and whether the work also needs zoning relief (a special permit for a non-conformity, or a variance). Fees, forms and filing deadlines are on the City’s site.
Not legal advice, not an official City publication, and not the position of the Historical Commission or any board. Says what the ordinances say as of September 30, 2026; the Zoning Administrator decides what applies. Boundaries: Merrimack Valley Planning Commission / City of Newburyport GIS (MIMAP); 1984 status from the National Register nomination's district data sheets. City's quick guide to the DCOD and demolition delay ↗ · Do I need approval? Project by project →
From the archive
4 items · maps, papers, old photographs
More built Before 1775
Sources
- Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, NWB.2921