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–Not graded
History · Northwest Harwich

11% of Northwest Harwich’s homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1887 on.

2on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Northwest Harwich’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Northwest Harwich are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18875 editions of the USGS map, 1887 to 1974. Watch Northwest Harwich change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Northwest Harwich’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Northwest Harwich’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Northwest Harwich on the map, 1887 to 1974

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Northwest Harwich. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Northwest Harwich on the 1887 USGS mapNorthwest Harwich on the 1893 USGS mapNorthwest Harwich on the 1949 USGS mapNorthwest Harwich on the 1961 USGS mapNorthwest Harwich on the 1974 USGS map1887Yarmouth sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Northwest Harwich.

The story so far

Northwest Harwich, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Northwest Harwich yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Northwest Harwich is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Harwich in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, Northwest Harwich had a population of 4,296. The CDP includes the Harwich villages of West Harwich, North Harwich, and Pleasant Lake, as well as a portion of the mailing area for Harwich Port.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 3,929 to 4,296 (+9%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the National Register

2 historic places in Northwest Harwich

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Northwest Harwich

Nobody well known was born in Northwest Harwich itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Mercy Otis WarrenAmerican writer · b. 1728
James OtisLawyer in colonial Massachusetts · b. 1725
Todd EldredgeAmerican figure skater · b. 1971
F
Frank StubbsAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1909
George ThatcherAmerican judge and congressman · b. 1754
A. B. RogersAmerican engineer · b. 1829
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Harwich5 historic placesA−Harwich Center1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHarwich PortIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast Harwich1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBrewster5 historic placesA−Dennis5 historic placesB+Dennis PortIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Northwest Harwich’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.