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But What About the Women?
Many women found jobs in Norwood’s printing industry. A 1909 article notes that the Norwood Press has a total of 625 employees, and of that number, 245 are women. Articles found in local newspapers about the printing strikes at the Norwood Press and the Plimpton Press, which happened during the early 1900s, note that men…
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Holliston Mills Wrap it Up!
Herbert and Howard Plimpton formed the “Security Manufacturing Company,” a division of the Plimpton Press, on Lenox Street in Norwood in 1893. In 1895, they changed the name to Holliston Mills. The company’s product was a flexible glue called “Glutino” that was used in bookbinding, however, before 1900, they began to manufacture the cloth for…
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Women Behind the Lines
The Norwood Women’s Club, established in 1900, is one of Norwood’s oldest continual organizations in town. At a time when many Women’s clubs are seen as redundant and are having a hard time finding and keeping members, this club is still going. Over it past 120 years, it has sponsored many activities and programs for…
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Women on the Front Lines
There were women who worked in the printing presses in Norwood. A few had positions in management, but most worked on the floor. Clara Berwick, Jane Williams and Ligia Carlson all worked for thirty years at their jobs. Clara Berwick was the president of Berwick & Smith, Jane Williams worked for the Plimpton Press as…
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We Got Ya Covered! Managers of Holliston Mills.
Over the years Holliston Mills had several dynamic leaders at its helm. The first managers were brothers, Herbert and Howard Plimpton, after the death of Howard, their nephew, Henry Plimpton Kendall came aboard. Staying on for approximately twenty years. After he left, Herbert’s son, Hollis oversaw the company, and when the Plimptons sold the company,…
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Extra! Extra! The Norwood Messenger
The Ambrose brothers, Alfred (1866-1924), Willard (1873-1936), and Edward (1876-1898) brought their local newspaper and printing business to Norwood from Groveland, Massachusetts in 1895 and it was still in operation in the 1970s. The Norwood Messenger, was their weekly newspaper, which they printed in their printing business, the Ambrose Press. This printing company not only…
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George H. Morrill Company (The Inkworks)
“The enterprise which Samuel Morrill started in a single kettle, producing a few pounds daily, was a pioneer in the manufacturing of printing ink in New England and became on of the first of the large ink makers in the county.” Edward Gilpatrick The George H. Morrill Company made ink for the newspaper industry. Founded…
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Progressives Change Norwood
“Wealthy industrialists and working-class immigrants united to build this New England town and to foster growth into the Norwood of Today: a vital community that residents are proud to call home.” Patricia J. Fanning Norwood’s growth and industrialization due to the expansion of its printing industry from 1894 to about 1920 reflected the changes…
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A Benevolent Community
Many people moved to Norwood to fill a growing labor need. Norwood soon became a town that was not only culturally, but economically diverse. Norwood’s industrialists’ wealth grew significantly and could be seen in the size and grandeur of the homes they built. A new middle class emerged who earned enough money to live comfortably…
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A Multi-Cultural Community Grows
In 1872, Norwood was still largely an agricultural community; many of the leaders of the new town of Norwood felt it was imperative for the town to grow its tax base and began to look for ways to attract new businesses, which in turn would attract new residents. From the time Norwood was established, its…
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