Norfolk Then…
Travel by railroad was still the best way to get from one place to another in the early 20th century, so a washout on the line was serious business. But paired with a photograph of laundry hanging out to dry, this play on words made for a popular postcard message. The postcard dates from the […]
Norfolk Then
By Ann Havemeyer It was a busy afternoon at the General Electric plant in 1953. On the banks of the Blackberry River in a building that had been a 19th century stone mill, General Electric opened a branch in 1946 to make starters for fluorescent lights. Twelve Norfolk women were employed at first, but the […]
Norfolk Then…
Pictured here is the Church of the Immaculate Conception and the adjacent rectory about 1910. Catholicism had first come to Norfolk with the arrival of the Ryan brothers in 1836, who established a woolen mill in town. Before there was a church, the handful of Catholics worshipped in the Ryan home and in the woolen […]
Norfolk Then…
One of the earliest photographs of Norfolk was taken on Nov. 2, 1877. Folks coming from Winsted would have travelled by horse-drawn carriage along this road to the center of town. There were no sidewalks to speak of, just dirt paths and occasional boardwalks, as seen on the right. The railroad had just been built […]
Norfolk Then…
Emergency medical transport has changed dramatically over the past century, evolving from simple horse-drawn carriages to life-saving ambulances with advanced medical equipment. The original Norfolk Lions Club ambulance, a Henney Packard, is parked in front of Town Hall in this photograph, probably taken soon after the Lions Club was organized in January of 1951. Unlike […]
Norfolk Then…
Pictured here is the bungalow that was built in 1907 by Dr. Frederic Dennis, a noted New York surgeon whose family had lived in Norfolk for generations. His summer residence, known as Tamarack Lodge, sat just off Litchfield Road and the hilltop bungalow, designed by architect Alfredo Taylor, was a place to entertain guests, with […]
Norfolk Then…
During the first half of the 20th century, multiple businesses occupied the first floor of Village Hall, now known as Infinity Hall. Built in 1883 as a multi-purpose building, Village Hall provided the town with a commercial complex as well as a much-needed cultural center upstairs, where townsfolk could gather for lectures, concerts, dances and […]
Norfolk Then…
The Eldridge Gymnasium, now Town Hall, was built in 1892. This view of the rear of the building, then with an open veranda, features the vibrant multi-colored buff and beige Mission tiles of the roof, sadly removed. The Gymnasium quickly became a hub of activity. In addition to grass tennis courts in front, there were […]
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 […]
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 […]
