Edward Nichols
1864–1933
Industry, cultural influencer
Edward Nichols was a prominent Boston architect who designed several public buildings in Cohasset. He was born to Caleb and Jane (Lothrop) Nichols on Jerusalem Road and lived in a house built by his grandfather, David Nichols. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before pursuing a career in architecture.
Nichols' contributions to Cohasset are numerous and some of the most recognizable buildings. They include the former Osgood School on Ripley Road, the Cohasset Savings Bank on Elm Street (now Hingham Institution for Savings), and his home at 43 Tower Lane. He also designed the original Paul Pratt Library on South Main Street (now Cohasset Historical Society) which is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Edward made practical changes to the Town Hall in 1928. He relocated the auditorium to the first floor and put the offices on the second floor.
Nichols was an active member of the community. He was a parishioner at First Parish Unitarian Church, a trustee of the Paul Pratt Memorial Library, a director of the Cohasset Savings Bank, and a founding member of the Cohasset Historical Society in 1928.
Beyond Cohasset, Nicholas worked for the renowned architect Williard T. Sears, who designed Gothic Revival and Renaissance Revival style residences in the Boston and Brookline estate area, including the world-renowned Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Mrs. John L. (Isabella) Stewart Gardner hired Sears to design a home, courtyard, and galleries in the Fenway mudflats that highlighted her art, paintings, sculptures, textiles, and furniture. Nicholas served as Sears' onsite architect to ensure his blueprints were followed, quality standards maintained, and appropriate change orders were made throughout construction. The home first named Fenway Court is remarkable and features the first American glass-covered garden. In 1903, Mrs. Gardner opened her home as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which still operates. Nichols' descendants generously donated his drawings to the museum. He passed away suddenly in 1933 following a Boston restaurant lunch.
David H. Wadsworth
1931–2015
government/civic leader
David H. Wadsworth was a lifelong Cohasset native and descendent of Israel Nichols and Edward Nichols, early residents of Cohasset. With interest in his forebears, he served first as curator, and then historian of the Cohasset Historical Society from 1981 until his passing in 2015. During this time Wadsworth wrote many articles on Cohasset’s town history. As Town Archivist (1979–2013), he authored the “Images of America” volume on Cohasset. As a member of the Cohasset Historic Commission, he researched and processed several hundred applications for Cohasset properties for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. He served on the Cohasset Central Cemetery Board Of Directors, was a former Trustee of Paul Pratt Memorial Library (1985–1988), and was Chairman of the U.S. Constitutional Bicentennial Committee (1986–1987), which planned town-wide activities to commemorate the bicentennial of the signing of the Constitution.
