Dr. Richard Barstow practiced medicine for fifty years in Norfolk, opening his office overlooking the village green in 1936. Active in the educational, political, and cultural life of the town, Dr. Barstow served as chairman of the Norfolk committee for a regional high school at a time when Norfolk was grappling with regionalization. Planning for a new high school began in 1951, after the Gilbert School in Winsted announced that it could no longer educate students from neighboring towns. Voters from each of the six towns involved—Barkhamsted, Colebrook, Hartland, Harwinton, New Hartford, and Norfolk—had to tackle a host of contentious issues: whether to join Regional School District No. 7 or another; whether to approve of the chosen site in Barkhamsted; and whether to have a four-year or six-year school program. The year 1953 saw Norfolk embroiled in what has been described as “a bloodless civil war,” with no less than fifteen special town meetings and five referendums. One town meeting drew more than 400 people, the largest attendance on record. In 1956, with the district reduced to four towns and a new site chosen, plans moved forward. Northwestern Regional High School opened its doors in 1958.
—Ann Havemeyer

Photo copyright Norfolk Historical Society