The railroad was a visible part of the Norfolk landscape a century ago. Constructed in 1870, it approached the village from the south along Litchfield Road, first passing through the hamlet of Grantville near Winchester Road. After skirting the Village Green to the east, the tracks crossed under Greenwoods Road (Route 44) at the entrance to Maple Avenue, as shown in this photograph taken from behind the Norfolk Library. Notice the decorative railing at the underpass. Designed by architect Alfredo Taylor in 1905, the attractive railing is marked by a graceful combination of straight and curved lines between two rough-cut granite piers topped with wrought iron lamps. The lamps were electric―still a novelty at that time―and their lighting on August 21, 1905, made the headlines of the local newspaper. Pedestrians could view the bustle of arrivals from the bridge on Maple Avenue and then walk to the train station on the pathway below.

Ann Havemeyer