[2] After a short stint in teaching, he entered the State Normal School in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, graduating in 1852.

[2] As a professor of history and geography, he had high expectations of his students, with assignments consisting of drawing each continent from memory and knowing the area of Patagonia in square miles.

[6] One of the actions Hewett took as president was to reduce the academic year at the normal school to thirty-six weeks.

[2] After he left Illinois State, Hewett became an associate editor of “School and Home Education” up until his death.

[12] In the early 1860s, Hewitt built a wooden frame house with Italianate and Greek Revival elements.

It was designated a local landmark of the town of Normal on July 19, 1993; as of 2024, it serves as the Ecology Action Center.