This house was built over many years starting in 1861. The house was built with Italianate design features. Italianate buildings are known for their ornamentation rather than the structure itself. Some of the Italianate features of this house are: shallow arched windows, brackets under the eaves, narrow double front door and the windows have large panes flanked by smaller panes.

Richard Morwood came to Welland from New York State in 1856. He was very active in the politics of Welland; he served as a councillor in 1863 and as Mayor of Welland in 1881. He started the R. Morwood Co. in 1875, which passed through the generations of his family before it was destroyed by a fire in 1968.

Morwood was an active member of the Methodist Church. He donated the land the Methodist Church (now United Church) sits on, as well as the land for Central Public School (the parking lot to the East of the market buildings).