Norwell was originally part of the maritime town Scituate, an area that boasted a thriving shipbuilding industry for over 200 years on the North River. In 1848, taxpayers from the south end of Scituate wanted more control over their finances and voted for secession. This area, originally known as South Scituate, was renamed Norwell in 1888 after the town's generous benefactor Henry Norwell. What remains of this quintessential South Shore community are many charming neighborhoods such as Ridge Hill, which has remnants of a commercial era long since passed, and Norwell Village, with a quaint small-village atmosphere that survives today.

James Pierotti, a graduate of Babson College, is a member of the Hingham Historical Society and the author of Hingham. His preservation work with the Massachusetts Historic Commission secured the listing for Bent's Cookie Factory, owned by his family, on the National Register of Historic Places. Jeff Corwin, a former resident of Norwell, is now the host of The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's
Quest on the Animal Planet channel.