This edition of Norfolk Then is the first in a series to feature Norfolk houses. Look for them as you walk or drive through town. Pictured here is the house built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spofford as their summer home. The son of Ainsworth Spofford, librarian of Congress, Charles Spofford was an electrical engineer, who would be hired in 1902 to manage London’s underground railway system, converting it from steam to electricity. The Spoffords engaged the architect Ehrick K. Rossiter of Washington, Conn., to design their house, which they called The Alders. Rossiter later designed the Music Shed on the Stoeckel estate. The Alders sat majestically on Maple Avenue with the treeless landscape providing a fine view of Haystack Mountain. Today it is known as Manor House.

— Ann Havemeyer
Photo courtesy of The Norfolk Historical Society