Norfolk Then . . .
In 1900, the Collar Brothers store stood west of the intersection of Greenwoods Road and Maple Avenue adjacent to the Norfolk Library. The old store had been built in 1843 and occupied by a series of merchants. The Collar Brothers advertised boots, shoes and groceries, as well as dry goods and notions (sewing accessories such […]
Norfolk Then
One of Marie Kendall’s most beloved photographs shows a group of Norfolk men working out at the Eldridge Gymnasium (now Town Hall) in 1896. Some have been identified, such as John DePeu, bearded pastor of the Church of Christ, balancing on the parallel bars. Perhaps these men were inspired by the first modern Olympic Games, […]
Norfolk Then . . .
With poplars and maple trees lining the sidewalk, Station Place presented a bucolic setting to the visitor arriving at the newly constructed railroad station (center) in the early 20th century. One could hardly guess that an impressive business boom was under way, heralded in the local paper as the biggest boom Norfolk had ever witnessed. […]
Norfolk Then . . .
This decorative railing near the corner of Greenwoods Road and Maple Avenue stands on what was once the northern edge of the railroad underpass, marked in the photograph by the wooden planks and now filled in. To the left is the Library with its brownstone walls and tile roof. Designed by architect Alfredo Taylor in […]
Norfolk Then . . .
Although there was no organized baseball for Norfolk youth until Little League arrived in 1952, town team baseball flourished during the first half of the 20th century. The first Norfolk town team dates back to the early 1900’s and was comprised of young adults who competed against teams from nearby towns. In 1938, the town team […]
Norfolk Then…
Look closely at the houses in this 1890’s photograph to see if you recognize any. The view is from the Battell-Stoeckel property just west of Greenwoods Road looking north to Haystack Mountain. By 1890 the hills of Norfolk had been deforested by the iron industry and the trees cut down to make charcoal. So we […]
Norfolk Then . . .
It was a busy afternoon at the General Electric plant in 1952. On the banks of the Blackberry River, in a building that had been a 19th-century stone mill, GE opened a branch in 1946 to make starters for fluorescent lights. Twelve Norfolk women were employed at first, but the number soon grew to 145 […]
Norfolk Then . . . (Feb. 2016)
Here’s a dilemma those born in a leap year might relate to: what do you do when your 21st birthday is not on the calendar? George Washington faced just this conundrum in 1752. He had been born on February 11, 1731. When England and its colonies switched from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in […]
Norfolk Then . . .
For the Kendall family of Norfolk, Christmas meant gathering to decorate an evergreen tree in their home. If this sounds traditional, it wasn’t always so. Claude Kendall, the son of Norfolk’s skilled photographer Marie Hartig Kendall, recalled in a written reminiscence that his family was the first in Norfolk to have a Christmas tree. Each […]
Norfolk Then…
The names of candidates who lose elections often fade into obscurity, or perhaps become questions on “Jeopardy.” In 1940, however, dark-horse candidate Wendell Willkie’s effective criticism of Roosevelt’s New Deal administration spawned hundreds of grassroots “Willkie for President” clubs throughout the country which many people still remember. The banner in this photograph hangs from the […]
