The Swedeville Walking tour (courtesy of George Curtis) Acknowledgements: The Norwood Historical Society would like to give a special thank you to several people, who without their knowledge, help and input made the 2022 Walking Tours both interesting and fun! A special thanks goes to: Irene Ingemi, for assisting with Swedeville tour Joanne Powell, for … Continue reading Norwood Neighborhoods Exhibits Sources and Acknowledgements
1930 German Residents of Wilson Street (first half)
The Schacht House (photo by LLKearney) #2 Wilson – Home of Anthony Izza, Rhode Island, book cloth machine operator #28 Wilson Street – Home of Hilmer Ekland, Sweden, floorcovering machinist #29 Wilson Street - The home of John H. Schacht Bought the (21,949 sq ft) land from Abbie Ellis in 1891. (would have been “Lot … Continue reading 1930 German Residents of Wilson Street (first half)
Tremont Street to St. Joseph Avenue
Tremont Street On November 5, 1954, the partially nude body of fifteen-year-old Geraldine Annesse was found in the garage of #13 Tremont Street. She had been raped and strangled. Early newspaper articles speculated this might be the work of a serial sexual marauder (a sex maniac). Within two days the police had arrested 15-year-old Peter … Continue reading Tremont Street to St. Joseph Avenue
St James Avenue to St George Avenue
South Norwood Photo Studio ---1 St James Avenue (now gone) John Klukas was one of two photographers who operated photo studios in South Norwood. Alexander Lapinsky had a studio around the corner at 1084 Washington. Many of Norwood’s immigrant population liked to have their pictures taken, as it was an affordable way to memorial important … Continue reading St James Avenue to St George Avenue
Oolah Avenue to St. James Avenue
Oolah Avenue Named after the Abdallahs – “Oolah” is Syrian for Nicholas. Over the years, this street has been the home to waves of immigrants – Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian, Egyptian, and Ecuadorian called this street home. At one time, Matt Drummey lived here and was known for the cellos he made by … Continue reading Oolah Avenue to St. James Avenue
Points of Interest: South Norwood’s Changing Street Scape
Map of South Norwood showing were some of the major employers were located. An easy walk away. (Source: Mapcarta.com - edited by LLKearney) To travel from one end of South Norwood to the other, basically from Dean Street to Mylod Street, the length is only eight-tenths of a mile (.08), but so much is packed … Continue reading Points of Interest: South Norwood’s Changing Street Scape
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 married Queen Jadwiga, of the Kingdom of Poland, then in 1569, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was formally formed. This Commonwealth was initially known for its ethnic … Continue reading Norwood’s Polish Immigrants
Norwood’s Jewish Community
The blue outline denotes the area of the Pale of Settlement. All of the Jewish families that lived in Norwood in the early 1900s recorded their nationality as “Russian.” In 1920, Norwood’s census taker recorded the townspeople came from if they were born in another country. It appears Norwood’s Jews came from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, … Continue reading Norwood’s Jewish Community
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 Lithuanians came to the United States. In 1795, The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth fell and was incorporated into Russia. The Commonwealth, which was made up of the … Continue reading Norwood’s Lithuanian Immigrants
The Ethnic Groups that Called South Norwood Home
South Norwood was a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Immigrants from Syria, Poland, Lithuania, and Italy first settled here; followed later by people from Portugal, Brazil, Egypt, and Ecuador. Like the residents of Norwood’s other ethnic neighborhoods, Germantown, Swedeville, and the Irish of Dublin & Cork City, many came to Norwood because they already had friends or family … Continue reading The Ethnic Groups that Called South Norwood Home