Norfolk Then…
When the railroad was constructed in Norfolk, it was necessary to build several crossings, such as the bridge over Litchfield Road seen in the background of this photograph. The house in the foreground, still standing opposite the entrance to Mountain Road, was the home of postmaster Leo Curtiss and called Twin Willows. The railroad route […]
Norfolk Then…
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 […]
Norfolk Then…
Tennis at Town Hall? The building we know as Town Hall was originally the Eldridge Gymnasium, built in 1892. Located within easy walking distance of hotels and boarding houses in Norfolk at the turn of the last century, the Gymnasium was a popular gathering place for both residents and visitors. People played croquet on the lawn […]
Norfolk Then…
In 1900, the Collar Brothers store stood adjacent to the Norfolk Library on the corner of Greenwoods Road and Maple Avenue (visible at the far right). The old store had been built in 1843 and was occupied by a series of merchants. The Collar Brothers advertised boots, shoes and groceries, as well as dry goods […]
Norfolk Then…
The Dudley Tannery and bark shed, pictured here in an early 20th century photograph by Frank DeMars, stood at the corner of Ashpohtag Road and Route 44 in West Norfolk. Tanning was once a thriving industry in Norfolk, the second largest after the woolen industry in the mid-19th century. The State of Connecticut Report of […]
Norfolk Then…
Members of the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department are pictured in 1946 in front of their first home, the Royal Arcanum building on Station Place. The intertwined initials NVFD can still be found on either side of the arched opening where the Seagraves hose trucks were kept. A fire bell hung in the brick tower that […]
Norfolk Then…
In the late 19th century, the arrival of every train at the depot on Station Place was widely anticipated.There were freight trains, milk trains and passenger trains unloading throngs of summer visitors. Theattractive station pictured here was built in 1898, replacing an earlier modest structure. Constructed ofnative granite, it was designed by Hill & Turner, […]
Norfolk Then…
This photograph of the Norfolk Library with empty shelves was probably taken justbefore the Library opened its doors for the first time in 1889. Isabella Eldridge, one of thefive daughters of the Rev. Joseph and Sarah Battell Eldridge, built the Library both as amemorial to her parents and as a gift to the town. The […]
Norfolk Then…
In 1895, Connecticut passed a compulsory education law for children ages eight to 14. With the demise of the one-room schoolhouses scattered throughout the town, Norfolk had to come up with a method of transportation to get children to the larger, centrally located Center School. Rural towns across the country faced a similar challenge. In […]
Norfolk Then…
Once there was a tower in Norfolk from which Rapunzel could have let down her hair. Rising from the east end of the Royal Arcanum building, built in 1904, it served as a hose tower for the Norfolk Volunteer Fire Department. The Royal Arcanum building was a joint venture between the NVFD and the Wangum […]
