To the West of the Common – Washington Street

Washington Street is the main thoroughfare through town and forms the eastern border of the Town Square. It splits at the northern edge of town and becomes Walpole Street, known in the early days of the town as the Norfolk Bristol Highway, and southerly to South Norwood.

Churches  

United Church of Norwood was originally the Universalist church. Originally located where the St. Catherine‘s rectory is, it was a small wooden structure.  A larger church was built where St Catherines is now and it was destroyed by fire in 1884 and rebuilt in its present location, with contributions by Louis Day who was a member of the parish. In 1934 a fragment of the Methodists merged with the Universalists to form the United Church of Norwood as it is today. Meanwhile, the Universalist Church sold the small wooden building to St. Catherine’s parish.

St. Catherine’s was situated on the land that was once the small building of the Universalist Church. They offered the building to the Catholics who were traveling to Roxbury for Mass. In the 1840s mass was said twice a month at Patrick Fahey’s house at the corner of what is now Nahatan and Prospect. In 1862 they had their first Mass in this wooden building, until 1910 when the current church was built.  The small building was renamed Columbia Hall and used as a parish hall. It was loaned to the Polish Community of South Norwood to have Mass said occasionally in Polish until they could petition the archdiocese for their own church. The feud between the Lithuanians and the Polish in South Norwood left the Polish Catholics with no local place to worship.

Norwood Associates Block

Next to the United Church is the Norwood Associates block. This building was original to the Hook and has housed numerous businesses, the early South Dedham Post Office, a hardware store, the Norwood Times newspaper, Alighieri’s Bridal shop, barbershop and beauty Salon, and now whatever is there.  The block from Cottage Street to the Associates Block, originally the site of Tinker’s Drugstore, has had numerous tenants. In 1881 it was the shop of Alfred T. Harriot who had his shop as a watchmaker, jeweler, engraver, and ophthalmologist. There was an insurance company on the top floor and for a while the Post office was in the same building. As the block grew and the older buildings were destroyed it was the home of Regan’s Shoes, Norwood Taxi, Pennington Stationary, a barber shop, Jack’s Dress Shop, Puritan Furniture, Welch’s Newsstand, Dryfuss and White Fruit and Produce, Orient Brothers, Clothing, McManus ice cream shop. A direct rival to Furlong’s in the 60s, The Apollo Function Hall, and now as you see it. The block behind where Babel’s paint was located, was first Humphreys Fish Market, then Peterson’s Catering, then Vic and Jeanne Babel moved the family business there, and for a brief time National Lumber ran Babel’s. It is now the new home of FURLONG’s Candy!!

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