Meet The Germantown Neighbors

Map of Germantown Area - Wilson, Walpole & Bullard Streets (Source: Mapcarta) Initially Wilson Street, Norwood had been part of Walpole. Five families were affected when the area became part … Continue reading Meet The Germantown Neighbors

The Gottscheers

Map of Gottschee Many of the homes on Wilson, Walpole and Bullard Streets were populated by immigrants from Gottschee, Krain, Austria-Hungary Empire.  This was a German-speaking enclave in Krain, a … Continue reading The Gottscheers

The Germans

Examples of furniture built at the Everett Furniture Factory. (Norwood Historical Society Collection) Germans have been immigrating to the United States, long before it became an established country. In fact, … Continue reading The Germans

Germantown: A Community of Gottscheers

1852 Map (by H.F. Walling) of Walpole, showing the area that would eventually become Germantown. Germantown was an almost self-contained section of Norwood in the early 1900s. Located in the … Continue reading Germantown: A Community of Gottscheers

History of the Germantown Area

Long before South Dedham became Norwood, there was industry here supported by immigrants from many countries. One of the first industries was the Willard Everett Furniture factory, located approximately where … Continue reading History of the Germantown Area

Germantown Points of Interest

Today, very little remains of Germantown except for the houses. Both Bullard and Wilson Streets are highly traveled, as they are a shortcut to Westwood. Some of the Germantown places … Continue reading Germantown Points of Interest

Norwood’s Polish Immigrants

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth map. Map of Poland today. The Polish share much of their history and culture with the Lithuanians. Their long connection started in 1386 Lithuania’s Grand Duke Jogaila … Continue reading Norwood’s Polish Immigrants

Norwood’s Italian Immigrants

In over forty years, between 1880 and 1920 over four million Italians began arriving in The United States, many coming from the poor agricultural towns located in Mezzogiorno region (the … Continue reading Norwood’s Italian Immigrants

Norwood’s Lebanese-Syrian Immigrants

Syrians had been arriving in Massachusetts since the late 1880s. Many came from what is today, the countries of Lebanon and Syria, and these immigrants were mostly Christian. Traditionally, this … Continue reading Norwood’s Lebanese-Syrian Immigrants

Norwood’s Lithuanian Immigrants

Map of The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Map of Lithuania today The history of Lithuania is long and complicated, but it needs to be understood as its roots illustrate when and why … Continue reading Norwood’s Lithuanian Immigrants