From the Wednesday, December 16, 1891 edition of the Courier & Freeman:

 

Moving of the Old American House

 

During the past few days the people of Norwood and vicinity have been more than usually favored with interesting and exciting events. The Sunday, for some time expected, when the American house would pass over the railroad tracks of the R.W. & O.R.R. on wheels came last Sabbath, and it passed over four of the five tracks in safety, making a distance of about 120 feet, leaving four of the tracks unobstructed for the trains on Monday morning, and before noon on Monday had made its way clear leaving all the tracks and platforms clear, and the outlook seems quite probable that the American house may be in position on its new foundation before the end of the present week.

 

About Nov. 12 Mr. Steel, the contractor to move the American House, and his six men arrived, and at once he began the work on the job which seemed to be a most difficult undertaking; that is, to take the main and brick part of the American house, a structure 60 feet long and 32 feet wide, and three stories high, and high peaked roof, and move it from its foundation, turn it half way round, amd move it about 42 rods over a rough and in some places a low and wet piece of ground and put it down on a stone foundation on Mechanic street, about 4 rods westerly of the present passenger depot, and there leave it on a leval and all right, with its furniture and contents, all in as good condition as before moving. The news went out of the arrival of the jobber and his several carloads of apparatus, and since then the American House on wheels has been the center of attraction in Norwood. Also the report went out that the crossing of the tracks was to made on Sunday, and on every Sunday since people have come in goodly numbers to see this great structure go over the tracks. The work of getting ready to move was great and it was several days before the trial was made. The work has gone on steadily and well, though slowly. Monday evening of this week the building stood in the highway just across the tracks, and in about as good condition inside as when it started. The building has been occupied all the time, particularly nights by lodgers, and coal fires kept up therein. By far the greater portion of the work of doing the job consists in moving and laying the foundation timbers, and the actual work of moving the structure is comparatively little. The progress has been very slow, for the reason that most of the way the foundation timbers had to be laid so high, the placing of which took so much time. At the railroad crossing the building ws run near the ground, hence the progress there was comparatively rapid.

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