Norfolk Then . . .
While The Championships, Wimbledon, founded in 1877, may be the oldest tennis tournament in the world, Norfolk had its own attraction: the annual Norfolk, Conn., Open Tournament, beginning in 1895. Heavily advertised in many lawn tennis publications, the tournament was held at the Eldridge Gymnasium (now Town Hall) for three days in August and drew […]
Norfolk Then . . .
While the sign Martini Hotel may have raised eyebrows during prohibition, it was actually the name of the hotel’s proprietor, Albert Martini. Built in 1913, the four-story steel-framed brick structure brought modern construction to downtown Norfolk and opened as the Wangum Hotel; Wangum Lake was the town’s nearby reservoir. When Martini bought the hotel in […]
Norfolk Then . . .
This photograph is one of many Marie Hartig Kendall (1854-1943) took of Norfolk farm scenes around the turn of the last century. Born in France, Marie trained as a nurse at Bellevue Hospital after moving to New York in the 1870s. Before graduating, however, she was dismissed for having become engaged to Dr. John C. […]
Norfolk Then . . .
From Mother Goose to Ogden Nash, March winds have been the poet’s muse. In the familiar nursery rhyme, they bring April showers and May flowers. In 1888, however, March winds brought in the biggest blizzard to hit the Northeast in recorded history. Beginning on March 12, the storm lasted three days and crippled the region […]
Norfolk Then: Ice blocks from the “Icebox”
Harvesting ice was an important industry in Norfolk before the advent of mechanical refrigeration, and frozen ponds were kept free of snow not for skating, but to keep the ice from getting soft before the harvest. The Norfolk Ice Company operated on Pond Hill Pond, just east of town. There the ice froze especially thick; […]
View From the Green
Support More Than Just Agriculture at Farmers Market By Adair Mali It’s July, and it finally feels like summer here in the Icebox (at least some of the time)! The Norfolk Farmers Market is up and running, with farmers and artisans setting up shop in front of the Town Hall every Saturday. Each weekend, […]
Norfolk Then . . .
Look carefully and you may recognize most of the houses in this photograph, although it is unlikely you will see oxen on Grant Street today. This handsome pair belonged to Thomas Carroll whose house is pictured at the right. Grant Street was one of the many streets that were opened in Norfolk at the end […]
Community News: July 2017
Songs of World War I at the Norfolk Library In conjunction with the Norfolk Historical Society’s exhibition Norfolk in the Great War, on Sunday, July 23, at 5 p.m., Doug Schmolze, singer and guitarist, will present a variety of songs from the 19teens, both patriotic and otherwise, in a centennial retrospective. With anecdotes and historical […]
Many Thanks for Supporting Silent Auction
The Fundraising Committee of the Church of Christ Congregational would like to thank everyone who helped make the Silent Auction on June 3 such a great success! Thank you to the local businesses who donated delicious food for the hors d’oeuvres; Wood Creek Pub and Grill , and the Bistro at Infinity Hall , as […]
Real Estate Transactions, April and May 2017
April Real Estate Transactions On April 10, 449 Wheeler Rd. was sold by Wheeler Road LLC to John and Orie Sullivan, for $119,000. On April 13, 25 acres on Parker Hill Rd. were sold by Katherine Mark et al. to Norfolk Land Trust Inc., for $110,000. On April 24, 15 Shepard Rd. was sold by […]
