A year of hands, shifts, uniforms, trades, and the everyday labor that made Norwood run.
If 2025 revealed anything about your readers, it’s that Norwood’s history is, at its core, a story of work. Not abstract industry — but the people who clocked in, punched cards, hauled hides, set type, served lunches, taught classes, fought fires, and kept the town moving. These were the stories that resonated most: the human‑scale accounts of labor, skill, danger, pride, and community.
This is your Working Lives Wrapped — the most‑read stories celebrating the workers behind Norwood’s history.
Pressmen, Proofreaders & Bookbinders: The Human Engine of Plimpton Press
One of the most‑visited working‑life stories of 2025 was the feature on Plimpton Press, not just as a factory, but as a workplace filled with skilled tradespeople — typesetters, bindery workers, machinists, and clerks whose livelihoods depended on the thundering presses.
Plimpton Press Provides Jobs for 900 — Annual Payroll $3.5 Million (1955)
Readers connected with the human scale of the story: the shift changes, the cafeteria chatter, the pride of producing books read around the world.
Tanners, Curriers & Mill Hands: The Workforce That Built Early Norwood
Another top‑read story was the history of Winslow Brothers & Smith, where generations of workers processed sheepskins, tended vats, hauled materials, and kept the tannery running.
Winslow Brothers & Smith Co., Pioneer Sheepskin Tannery (1922)
Readers revisited this one to understand the gritty, physical labor that defined South Dedham’s earliest economy.
Teachers, Students & the Everyday Life of Norwood Schools
Educational stories weren’t just about buildings — they were about the people inside them. The most‑read working‑life education story was the 1971 Junior High School fire, which highlighted the teachers, custodians, and staff who suddenly found themselves navigating chaos.
Norwood Junior High School Fire (1971)
And the follow‑up:
Norwood Pupils To Attend Double Sessions After $2M Fire (1971)
Readers connected with the human side of the disruption — the teachers improvising lessons, the staff adapting to double sessions, the students adjusting to new routines.
Firefighters, Police & First Responders: Work Under Pressure
Public‑safety stories were among the most‑read working‑life features of 2025, especially those showing the intensity and danger of the job.
Eckhardt Children Led to Safety From Fire (1965)
Hostage Taken in Robbery, Officer Shot (1974)
These stories highlighted the courage, quick thinking, and emotional weight carried by Norwood’s first responders.
Shopkeepers, Clerks & Everyday Commerce
Readers also gravitated toward stories of small‑business workers — the people behind the counters, registers, and lunch stands that shaped daily life.
Clark’s Pharmacy Sold (1953)
Art Johnson’s Quick Service Lunch Stand Opens (1949)
These stories captured the rhythms of retail and service work — long hours, familiar faces, and the sense of community that came with it.
Industrial Safety & Innovation: The Workers Behind the Machines
One of the most‑shared working‑life stories was the 1971 feature on a new fiberglass safety shield at Martin, highlighting the constant push to protect workers in hazardous environments.
Fiberglass Shield Gives Norwood, Martin Big Lift (1971)
Readers appreciated the blend of innovation, danger, and the human stories behind industrial progress.
Working Lives Wrapped: Your 2025 Takeaway
This year’s most‑read working‑life stories revealed a town built not just on buildings or institutions, but on labor — the hands that stitched, printed, hauled, taught, cooked, rescued, repaired, and served.2025 proved that Norwood’s working history isn’t just about jobs.
It’s about dignity, community, skill, and the everyday people who made the town run.
Compiled by the Norwood Historical Society, with the assistance of Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.