Norton MA Historical Society

02/08/2020

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

12/13/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

11/24/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

10/17/2019

Eric Paulus is a Norton High School teacher who was born to baby boomer parents. Influenced by his parents' music at an early age, he fell in love with Woodstock. He uses Woodstock to teach the history of the time to his classes and to show how music and history are intertwined. If you were there or heard about it from your parents or grandparents you will surely enjoy this program! The public is invited to this free program. Please Share!

10/17/2019

Plainville Historical Commission, Plainville Massachusetts

Norton Muster 1968 Best Ladder Trophy Chief Skinner and Chief Witherall (Norton)

@ Norton Fire/Rescue Department
@ Norton MA Historical Society

10/17/2019

Peter J.

This is an article in the Mansfield News from Friday October 15th, 1926 and it was on Thursday October 14th, 1926 that a large barn located in the rear of the Wheaton Inn at Wheaton College in Norton and it was used as a livery stable to store hay and as an American Railway express representative office was almost destroyed in a fire of an undetermined cause

10/17/2019

Eric Paulus is a Social Studies at Norton High School and he and his students join us when the 3rd graders take their annual historical tour of Norton. On Sunday Oct. 27th, Eric will deliver an informative and interesting talk about Woodstock. Please join us!

09/24/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

09/19/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

09/19/2019

Due to the ongoing night operation of the sewage project along the street, there will be no monthly September meeting at the Historical Society. The next meeting will be October 27th. As always, if you are interested in volunteering at the Society during the week, please contact us at 508-285-7070 or at [email protected]. We recently reduced our open hours due to lack of volunteers.

09/11/2019

Learn. Remember.

From the Taunton Daily Gazette on September 12, 2001.

Explore the work of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
Visit www.911memorial.org/anniversary
Learn
Remember

08/15/2019

Great place!

There was a ribbon cutting today to commemorate the reopening of the Fisher Richardson House! Under the leadership of Historical Commission and Historical Society member Lou Andrews, the Fisher Richardson House is ready for visitors again for the first time in several years, beginning this Sunday. Come see the displays depicting life in Mansfield from the Colonial era to the Industrial Age. Hope to see you there!

08/03/2019

Historic Campbell House and barn in Norton coming down

So sad.

NORTON — One of the oldest homes in the Attleboro area, believed to date to the late 1600s, is slated for demolition Monday.

06/24/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

06/15/2019

This was in today's Sun Chronicle! Chartley Country Store

05/19/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

03/24/2019

Not in Norton, but I'm sure most of us remember Sannie's. I always hate to hear of old buildings being torn down!!

Times change, places change…it happens. And through it all Mansfield remains a great place to be. But we must note what appears to be the imminent demolition of a genuine Mansfield landmark: the former Sannie’s clothing store of North Main Street.
Sannie’s was founded by the four Farinella brothers: Santino (Sannie), Charles, Anthony and Frank. Initially Sannie’s occupied the southerly part of the building, which was once three stories high. Sannie’s purchased the Wasserman Block in 1958 and expanded the store all the way to Thomas Street. Shoppers came from all over the area to the store “Where Mansfield Styles Begin.” Decades of children recall doing their back-to-school shopping at Sannie’s. Others reminisce about the unusual ramp that separated the original store from the newer section below. And many fondly remember the tall exterior “Sannie’s” sign that became a local landmark.
Business boomed at Sannie’s in the second half of the 20th century. But as time went by the Farinella’s reached retirement age, malls had become the “place” to shop, and in 1992 Sannie’s closed its doors. The building was sold and divided into retail space in the style of a mini-mall. It was anchored by a breakfast restaurant at the corner of North Main and Thomas Streets, known over the years as the Bagel Train, Devon’s Place, Driscoll’s, Aunt Aleda’s and the Looking Glass Café. Knapp Video offered VHS movie rentals at the southerly end of the building in the 1990’s. Colonial Insurance later occupied that space.
Also slated to come down is the Billings Building of Thomas Street, formerly the A&P grocery store, better known in recent years as the Fabric Care Center. That building dates to the early 1900s. In the 1970s the location was a Cumberland Farms store, and later the Fabric Care Center, a combination laundromat and dry cleaner.
In between Sannie’s and the Billings Block was the Spaulding house, a large homestead that once belonged to jewelry manufacturer Doliver Spaulding. The Spaulding house was moved twice. Originally located at the corner of North Main and Thomas (then Chauncy) Street, it was moved a few hundred feet west up Thomas Street next to the Billings Building. The home was moved again on January 21, 1994, from Thomas Street to 80 Pratt Street where it still stands today. The Mansfield Bike Shop was between Sannie’s and the Spaulding house, which later became Sannie’s Little World and featured children’s clothing.
That busy corner has seen a lot of traffic and a lot of change over the years. But to those who lived in Mansfield in the second half of the 20th century, it will always be Sannie’s. And thank you Mark Farinella for these wonderful Sannie’s photos!

02/02/2019

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

12/20/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

12/20/2018

"Merry Christmas, you wonderful old Building and Loan!"

Technically I know it's the Norton Savings and Loan..but still

12/20/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

12/07/2018

Interesting!

We present to you a Mansfield mystery. When the veterans of World War I came home from overseas, the citizens of Mansfield organized a “Welcome Home Day” celebration to commemorate their return. A souvenir program was printed with an Honor Roll of 307 men and one woman from Mansfield who served in the Armed Forces. The program also featured photographs of the 12 local men who died in the service, with a brief descriptive caption.

One of these men was William A. Shaw. Born in Mansfield on June 6, 1887, he was the son of Stillman F. Shaw and Lena (Lacy) Shaw. He attended local schools and later worked as a jeweler. He boarded with his parents in a house on Bristol Street.

The commemorative program suggests that at some point, William Shaw entered the Canadian Army Medical Service. This was most likely prior to the U.S. entry to the war in April 1917. The program states that he was killed in the well-documented explosion in Halifax Harbor on November 30, 1917.

And so the mystery starts. History clearly states that the great explosion in Halifax Harbor occurred on the morning of December 6, 1917, when the French ship SS Mont Blanc, loaded with explosives, collided with the Norwegian vessel SS Imo. The subsequent blast shattered the city and killed almost 2,000 people. This historic date does not jibe with the one listed in the Mansfield Welcome Home program.

The records of all victims of that fateful day are maintained in the Nova Scotia Archives. William A. Shaw is not found in those records. Nor is he listed in the military records of the Archives of Canada. No trace can be found of the man. Searches of the Mansfield News have turned up no references of his traveling to Canada, enlisting in the Canadian Army, or of being a causality of events in Halifax.

When Stillman and Lena Shaw passed away their obituaries stated that their son William had died in the Halifax explosion, just as the Welcome Home program indicated. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are buried in Spring Brook Cemetery in Mansfield (their grave is pictured here). But there is no memorial stone or inscription to William’s memory, and the Spring Brook records confirm that he is not buried there.

It’s as if any verifiable proof of William Shaw’s demise has vanished from history. If you should happen to have any, the Mansfield Historical Society would like to hear from you! We would like to fully document and honor William Shaw’s service to the Allied cause during the Great War.

11/19/2018

Peter J.

This Afternoon at the Norton Historical Society, it was a military open house and there were lots of historical memorabilia that was donated from local residents who served in the military ranging from sheet music and medals to pillow covers and gas masks and all sorts of things, plus historical information on the stuff as it was a wonderful event and it was attended by a couple of people including local veterans Fred Williams, Herbert Church, Paul Romanelli and Carl Pietro and all sorts of people there as it was a great time

11/06/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

10/06/2018

Filming and Photography in Quincy & Neighboring Communities

This was posted online and this page was tagged in it. See who you may recognize!

Norton High School Marching in
Quincy's 40th Annual Christmas Parade
December 1, 1991
Quincy, Massachusetts
Norton MA Historical Society Norton High School (Massachusetts) Norton MA Town Clerk Norton Patch
#Christmas #Parade #NortonHighSchool Norton Public Schools Norton Public Library Norton MA Historical Society Norton High School The Downtown Norton Cable Access Norton Commons The Norton Local Wicked Local Norton Norton TOWN Council Norton, Massachusetts The Sun Chronicle Norton, MA - Norton Reporter The Norton Social #Norton #Massachusetts #Quincy #Massachusetts

09/24/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

09/12/2018

Flea Market at Historical Society on 9/15/18
8am-2pm
Space available for $20

08/14/2018

Peter J.

This is an photo in the Sun Chronicle from Thursday May 11th, 1989 and it is LG Nourse Students taking in a history class by Mrs. Gloria Gregg dressed in a historical costume and a shot of George Yelle

06/20/2018

Peter J.

This is an article in the Taunton Gazette from Tuesday January 2nd, 1973 and it is the Barrowsville Post Office closed at the end of 1972

06/18/2018

Norton MA Historical Society

06/18/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

06/18/2018

If anyone is available to volunteer some time at the Norton Historical Society on Wednesdays and/or Thursday mornings, George and Ruth would really appreciate it. They have been doing their volunteer job there for over 35 years or so and they could really use help categorizing and organizing all the materials they have. They have both had some health issues as of late and whereas it is run strictly by volunteers, any and all help is appreciated. Whatever you can do would be great. Please visit or call if you can. This is the history of Norton and should be run and taken care of by more than just the small group of extraordinarily dedicated individuals. Thank you!!

06/12/2018

Spread the word about the Annual Flea Market this Saturday!

05/28/2018

There are no meetings during June, July and August, but the Old Schoolhouse will be open during its usual times. If you have some free time, do drop by to help us organize the never ending pile of materials. We welcome more volunteers and the basement is so cool during the hot summer days. Grab some friends and make an event of it!

05/28/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

05/28/2018

05/05/2018

78 Dean St, Norton, MA 02766 | MLS #72318810 | Zillow

Interesting history on this house : https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/78-Dean-St-Norton-MA-02766/187154362_zpid/

For sale: $409,900. Open House Sunday 5/6, 12-1:30pm! Don't look for reproductions. The "Lane House" (c. 1775) embodies a charm and romance of a bygone era. Preserved from yesteryear and built to endure with it's rich history of owners and period architecture throughout while tastefully restored to....

04/30/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo

04/30/2018

Just as an FYI

Reservoir St will be closed Wednesday 5/2 from 7am to 5pm

04/27/2018

Peter J.

This is an article in the Sun Chronicle from Friday February 9th, 1979 and it is the Norton Civil Defense director Howard Baker recalled his memories on the Blizzard of 78

04/22/2018

Not in Norton, but of interest I think.

In the coming months, you’ll hear about the pending demolition of “Sannie’s”. Sannie’s was a very popular clothing store operated by the Farinella family of Mansfield. Shoppers came from all around the area to visit the store that boasted the slogan “Where Mansfield Styles Begin.” Sannie’s closed in 1992 and the building became a series of small shops. It also featured a breakfast restaurant that operated under several owners. Those restaurants included The Bagel Train, Devon’s Place, Driscoll’s, Aunt Aleda’s and now the Looking Glass Cafe. The Billings Building, which is now the Mansfield Fabric Care center, is to be torn down as well.

04/17/2018

TONIGHT!

PLEASE JOIN US for a program on "Norton During the Blizzard of '78". Andy Todesco, Secretary of the Mansfield Historical Society will relate events of the blizzard in Norton through photos from our Sociey's collection. Come join in the fun and share your pics and experiences on April 17th at 7pm. Photo below from Henrietta Yelle

04/17/2018

Thanks Peter!

This is an article and two photos in the Taunton Gazette from Monday February 13th, 1978 and this is how Norton like many other communities in New England had to dig out from the Blizzard of '78

04/13/2018

In case anyone wants to help out!

04/12/2018

Norton MA Historical Society's cover photo