Sign of Summer’s End, Town Beach Closes
Swimming at the town beach at Tobey Pond is over for the year, after a final weekend of activity. At 8 a.m. on Monday, September 14, a crew from the Norfolk Public Works department arrived to ready the beach for winter. They hauled the float onshore, carted off the lifeguard chairs and picnic tables to the […]
Norfolk Artists and Friends Show
The second weekend of August saw the Norfolk Artists and Friends seventh annual August Arts Weekend, featuring an art show held at the Battell Stoeckel Art Gallery. Over 20 artists, working in a variety of mediums, exhibited in the show. The Yale School of Music’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival sponsored the weekend, and a portion […]
Used Book Sale Supports Norfolk Library
The book buying was fast and furious at this year’s book sale, sponsored by the Library Associates. Blessed with fine weather, the sale was very successful, with totals expected to be close to last year’s. The Library Associates are grateful to all the volunteers who helped out with the sale, and especially to Hatsy Taylor, […]
Americorps Puts Boots on the Ground
Team of Volunteers Helps Land Trust Clear a New Trail By Susannah Wood The weather forecast was for hot and sticky all week, but the six lean and fit members of the Buffalo 5 Team came into town ready to do all the tasks the Norfolk Land Trust put in front of them: drainage […]
How Did Dolphin Pond Get Its Name?
A Look into Norfolk’s Past By Ryan Bachman In December 1803 Norfolk resident Peter Freedom received a crushing verdict from the Litchfield County Court. Because of debts incurred by his recently deceased father, Dolphin, the son was ordered to sell the family farm in southwestern Norfolk. The 40-acre property had only been in the […]
Husky Meadows Farm Grows a Cornucopia of Vegetables
By Lindsey Pizzica Rotolo The former Curtiss Farm is once again a full working enterprise. The property, just past the three-way intersection of Ashpohtag Road, Lovers Lane and Loon Meadow Drive, is doing its heritage proud. An acre and a half of land is now dedicated to growing vegetables. The rather impressive garden sits at […]
Wind Turbines Loom over Route 44
The Flagg Hill wind turbines—the first to be erected in the State of Connecticut—seemed to rise up into the sky overnight. This picture was taken on Route 44 coming up the hill toward Norfolk from Winsted, on August 20. A small American flag on the turbine is just visible in the picture. Photos by Bruce […]
Tobey Pond—From Glacial Kettle to Local Swimming Hole
By Christopher Sinclair Several thousand years ago a glacier inched its way through the southern Berkshires, and upon its retreat left the patch of land that would later become Norfolk, Connecticut, with a parting gift. Tobey Pond, the locally famous and universally beloved swimming hole, is that gift —nearly as pristine now as it was […]
Tiles for Library Roof Custom-Made in South America
By Wiley Wood When the Norfolk Library’s new roof is laid in the coming months, its red terra cotta tiles will be modern replicas of the ones that were originally chosen in the 1880’s. Their material comes from clay beds in Colombia, and the custom-made S-shaped tiles will be produced at a family-owned factory […]
Rebuilding the American Chestnut Tree
Rescuing a Forest Icon By Ruth Melville From Connecticut to Mississippi, along the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley, the American chestnut tree, able to grow as big as 130 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter, once dominated the forest canopy. Although American chestnuts were almost wiped out by disease by 1950, […]
