Imagine fishing in late 19th century Norfolk. Although we donít know exactly where this photograph was taken, the shallow pond could be Wood Creek. Among those pictured here are three generations of the Wheeler family who lived nearby: grandfather Hiram Wheeler, his daughter Mary, and his grandchildren Bessie and Fred Riggs, the children of Nettie Wheeler Riggs and Joseph Riggs of Riggs Hill in south Norfolk. Bessie and Fred attended the North Middle School, today known as the little red schoolhouse, on Ashpohtag Road. Like many of Norfolk’s oldest family names—Doolittle, Tobey, Smith, Barry, Shepard—Wheeler and Riggs are now place names that recall the many different people who gave shape to the town.
—Ann Havemeyer

Photo Copyright The Norfolk Historical Museum