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
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 … Continue reading Norwood’s Jewish Community
Maps of South Norwood
Looking at maps of the area helps to illustrate how South Norwood grew. Two 1876 Maps show house lots on the (Upper South Norwood) end of Washington Street beyond the … Continue reading Maps of South Norwood
Savin Avenue: The Neighborhood Expands
Looking down Savin Avenue towards Chapel Street. (photo LLKearney) In May of 1899, Melville Smith bought approximately eight acres from Clara Robbins, the widow of John Robbins, and within a … Continue reading Savin Avenue: The Neighborhood Expands
The People Who Settled Swedeville
A view down Cedar Street. (photo by LLKearney) Initially, Swedeville appears to have been a multi-ethnic neighborhood; composed of German, Irish, Lithuanian, New England/Canadian, as well as families from … Continue reading The People Who Settled Swedeville
32 Cottage Street – The Bigelow/Rhoads House
The Bigelow/Rhoads house circa 1990 (Source: MACRIS database) Erwin A. Bigelow bought this house lot from his father, L Waldo Bigelow in 1873. This was a portion of Waldo’s original … Continue reading 32 Cottage Street – The Bigelow/Rhoads House
Builders and Developers of Christian Hill
A 1858 map of Christian Hill, shows that Nahatan Street has become well settled, but the Christian Hill neighborhood is just beginning to be developed. Over its first thirty years, … Continue reading Builders and Developers of Christian Hill
1923 Planning Board Report-Existing East-West Through Streets and Diagonals
When the main thoroughfares of Norwood were laid out a century or more ago for a convenient approach to fields and pastures and to connect knots of houses or villages … Continue reading 1923 Planning Board Report-Existing East-West Through Streets and Diagonals
1923 Planning Board Report-Proposed Additional East-West Through Streets and Diagonals
In the wide interspaces between the existing east-west thoroughfares there are many local streets already built, and many more contemplated or actually under construction. Gradually, in a long term of … Continue reading 1923 Planning Board Report-Proposed Additional East-West Through Streets and Diagonals
The Bookcase Which Became an Institution- Norwood’s First Library
This cabinet, a simple, homely closet of pine, was the nursery of Norwood's first public library. It measures 6' 1/2” high, 3’ 5” wide, and 7 1/2” deep. It held … Continue reading The Bookcase Which Became an Institution- Norwood’s First Library