Freight trains lumbered through Norfolk on a daily basis in the late 19th century, transporting anthracite coal from Pennsylvania. They could be more than 20 cars long and usually required a second engine or pusher to get the heavy load up the hills to Norfolk. The freight station, pictured on the right, was located about where the National Iron Bank now stands. The structure behind the car is a coal shed and on the left is a water tower. Fire was a constant concern as live cinders from the steam engine boilers frequently started grass fires. In the distance is Haystack with its wooden belvedere (precursor to today’s stone tower), built in 1886. The belvedere blew down in a heavy gale in 1897. The pastures on the side of Haystack (now wooded) were part of Haystack Mountain Farm.

—Ann Havemeyer