William T. Donnell married Henry P. Hitchcock's daughter Clara in 1860 and bought this house and shipyard from Clara's mother in 1869. Living so close to the workplace was unusual. From this house, W. T. Donnell overlooked his shipyard, which operated as Deering and Donnell from 1866 to 1886 and as the William T. Donnell Shipyard from 1886 until 1901. In the 1880s the Donnells renovated the Italianate house inside and out to later Victorian tastes. In 1892, after Clara's death, William raised the roof and added the ell on the river side. The William T. Donnell House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.