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Norfolk Then…
This 1917 photograph is a timely reminder of the long struggle fought by many dedicated women for basic civil liberties, including the right to own property, hold public office, sit on juries, participate in public assemblies and vote. The group of 25 suffragists—20 women and five men—gathered on the porch following their meeting with Congressman […]
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Local Affordable Housing Groups Pioneer New Model
Bundling projects helps meet state minimums By Leila Javitch It’s an exciting spring for affordable homes in Northwest Connecticut. Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO) has fit together a program to build 10 new homes on scattered sites in five northwest towns via partnerships with each town’s volunteer affordable housing group. In Norfolk, the […]
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Proposed Manor House Expansion Draws Large Crowd
Many differing views on effect of change in town center By Susan MacEachron Norfolk residents filled the Botelle School Hall of Flags on a very cold evening on Tuesday, Jan. 14, to attend the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) public hearing regarding a modification to the special permit granted in 1996 to the property known as […]
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From All Angels
Throughout the month of February, Garet&Co will be returning to Norfolk to present their third annual performance in the Battell Chapel, where each piece will be set in the round. In this presentation, titled “From All Angles”, the audience will witness the translation of three of the works presented at their fall show. “Can’t Keep […]
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Norfolk Then
Pictured here is the house built in 1898 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Spofford as their summer home. The son of Ainsworth Spofford, Librarian of Congress, Charles Spofford was an electrical engineer, who would be hired in 1902 to manage London’s underground railway system, converting it from steam to electricity. The Spoffords engaged the architect […]
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Sweets on the Green
A Decade of Decadent Desserts By Andra Moss How is your naughty versus nice rating? Those needing to influence Santa with an especially impressive treat should grab their stockings and head to the Norfolk Historical Society (NHS) for the 10th Annual Cake Auction on Saturday, Dec. 7. Now a Norfolk holiday tradition, the event was […]
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Artist Tom Burr Brings His Torrington Project to an End
Performances celebrate studio closing By Stephen Melville Norfolk resident and artist Tom Burr organized a day of performances and exhibition at his studio in Torrington on Oct. 26, marking an end to what he has called “The Torrington Project.” For the past three and a half years, Burr has rented a vast—15,000 square foot—former industrial […]
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New Meanings for a Monument
Light Shines on the Memorial Green By Joe Kelly On Monday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day, a crowd of about 100 gathered for the rededication of Norfolk’s World War 1 memorial, artfully restored under the auspices of the Norfolk Community Association. It was sunny. Temperatures in the low ‘60’s. Another day of no rain. Everyone talked […]
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Norfolk Then…
This 1920s postcard shows Memorial Green just after the War Memorial, designed by Alfredo Taylor, was built. It was Taylor’s wife Minna who first proposed that a memorial “heroes grove” be planted on the small lot of land known as the Triangle opposite the Catholic Church. The lot had been left empty with the demolition […]
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Restored war memorial to be celebrated on veterans day
plaque now honors all who served By Patricia Platt A World War I monument, designed by Alfredo Taylor and erected on Norfolk’s Memorial Green in 1921, bears the inscription, “for those who gave and those who offered their lives for liberty, the people of Norfolk have built this monument and crowned it with the Liberty […]
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NLT Tail Ablaze with Runners
More than 120 runners enjoyed perfect fall weather as they wound their way through picturesque Barbour Woods in the 11th Annual Norfolk Land Trust Trail Race. Some chose to add a challenging loop over Haystack Mountain, while the half-marathoners just kept moving on up—topping out at over 2,000 feet of elevation gain. *photo by June […]
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Can you spot the Real Curler?
There was movie magic ice to be made, and the pros of the Norfolk Curling Club were the first to get the call. In October, NCC’s Jon Barbagallo, Lou Barbagallo, Rachel Barbagallo, Mark Walsh, Harvey Chalmers and Phill West were hired by a production company to make curling ice at a Rhode Island hockey rink […]
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Norfolk Then…
This 1917 photograph is a timely reminder of the long struggle fought by many dedicated women for basic civil liberties, including the right to own property, hold public office, sit on juries, participate in public assemblies and vote. The group of 25 suffragists—20 women and five men—gathered on the porch following their meeting with Congressman […]
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Local Affordable Housing Groups Pioneer New Model
Bundling projects helps meet state minimums By Leila Javitch It’s an exciting spring for affordable homes in Northwest Connecticut. Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO) has fit together a program to build 10 new homes on scattered sites in five northwest towns via partnerships with each town’s volunteer affordable housing group. In Norfolk, the […]
Articles
Norfolk Awarded $500,000 to Enhance City Meadow
Plan Combines Water Quality and Recreation By Wiley Wood A plan to turn the five-acre wetland in the center of Norfolk into a storm-water park has been awarded a $500,000 state grant, Governor Dannell P. Malloy’s office announced on September 17. The projected City Meadow will offer paths, boardwalks and benches for strollers, as well […]
Fadhl Saleh Closes Corner Store
Last-Ditch Effort to Save Town Business Falls Short By Ruth Melville On his last day of business, Corner Store owner Fadhl Saleh is visibly upset as he looks around at the empty shelves of his store. “I tried, but it just didn’t work,” he says sadly. “In the end, the stress was terrible, unbearable.” Saleh, […]
FairWindCT Appeal Against Wind Turbines Is Denied
State Supreme Court sides with siting council and developer By Veronica Burns FairWindCT, the grassroots opposition group to BNE Energy’s wind turbine project in Colebrook, has just received the decision on its appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court: rejection. The judges voted 6–0 that the New Britain Superior Court was correct in 2012 to dismiss […]
George Counter: Norfolk’s Retiring Superintendent of Schools
By Wiley Wood A gathering Sunday, September 14 honored Norfolk’s departing superintendent of schools, George Counter. As the guests spilled out over a sunny lawn with drinks in hand, a 70-pound pig was lifted from the bed of coals where it had roasted since dawn and was carved into portions. Counter retired as superintendent of […]
USA Curling Gives National Award to Mary Fanette
By Wiley Wood In December 2011, Mary Fanette was in her second and final term as president of the Norfolk Curling Club. Already on the boards of several Norfolk nonprofits and serving as the town’s volunteer webmaster, Fanette may have been looking forward to stepping down that coming May. Then the clubhouse burned to the […]
Norfolk Land Trust and Great Mountain Forest Publish Updated Trail Guides
Lace Up Your Hiking Boots By Ruth Melville Local hikers now have two new resources for exploring the Norfolk woods. Both the Norfolk Land Trust and Great Mountain Forest have recently released improved and expanded guides to hiking trails in the Norfolk area. The new, fifth edition of the Land Trust Trail Guide is the […]
The Norfolk Library Book Group
Varied books, good background info, open to all By Anne Frieze On a designated Friday approximately once a month, twenty to thirty people gather in a circle ready to discuss a book chosen by Mark Scarbrough, the facilitator of the Norfolk Library Book Group. In its fourth year, it is one of the core ongoing […]
Wooden Canoes Thrive in South Norfolk
Thomson Canoe Works Still Builds Canoes by Hand By Ruth Melville A summer job at a canoeing camp led Norfolk resident Schuyler Thomson to an unanticipated profession, and he has now been building and repairing handmade wooden canoes for over 30 years. Thomson, who grew up in Woodbury, Conn., graduated from the University of Connecticut […]
Ann Havemeyer Is New Director of Norfolk Library
On Monday, September 22, the Norfolk Library announced the appointment of Ann Havemeyer as director, starting October 1, 2014. Havemeyer, previously curator of the Library’s special collections, has served as interim director of the library since June, when she replaced Luisa Sabin-Kildiss. Havemeyer holds a Ph.D. from Yale University and is the author of several […]
Massachussetts Approves Railway Track Upgrade to Pittsfield
Campaign Hopes to Restore Passenger Rail Service from NYC By Ruth Melville On August 14, a group of about 40 residents of Litchfield County crowded into the Wandering Moose Café in West Cornwall to discuss the possibility of restoring passenger train service from Grand Central Station in New York City to northwest Connecticut and the […]
Engaging the Paradox: The Secret Corner Should Not be a Secret
Local businesses work to raise visibility By Christopher Sinclair While the verdant, ambling hills of the southern Berkshires, rife with clear streams and winding trails, receive the lion’s share of attention from people passing through or visiting, some individuals in the northwest corner are working to bring attention back to a somewhat neglected facet of […]
Housatonic Heritage Walks to Explore the Beauty and Culture of the Area
Norfolk Events Include Hikes in Great Mountain Forest and Stained Glass Windows By Ruth Melville On two weekends this fall, September 20 and 21, and October 4 and 5, Housatonic Heritage will be sponsoring its 13th annual Heritage Walks program. The walks are designed to explore the multifarious aspects—natural, cultural, historical—of the Upper Housatonic Valley. […]
