For decades, Norwood residents had lived peacefully under the reassuring call of the town’s old steam fire whistle, powered by Winslow Brothers & Smith Company. Its familiar tone signaled emergencies without disturbing daily life. But when the old building was torn down and a new air whistle was installed at the Municipal Light Building on Central Street, tranquility vanished overnight.
The new whistle, piercing and shrill, could be heard across town—startling shoppers downtown and waking families from sleep. Complaints poured into Town Hall, prompting the Board of Health to appeal to the Selectmen for relief. “Peace of mind is a condition of health,” said Bartley King, agent for the Board of Health. “And the residents of Norwood have not been in a peaceful state of mind since the new air whistle was installed.”
The old steam whistle had served Norwood faithfully for nearly fifty years, but the new air-powered alarm, intended to modernize the system, proved too powerful for comfort. Its location in the heart of the business district amplified the sound, echoing through storefronts and neighborhoods alike.
After weeks of complaints, the Selectmen agreed to take immediate steps to reduce the whistle’s tone, restoring calm to a town that valued both safety and serenity.
Source: Boston Globe, April 14, 1950
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