Norfolk Historical Society & Museum
Village Green, Norfolk, Connecticut
In 1893 Frederick M. Shepard donated property for an Episcopal chapel for summer worship. Designed by New York architect Bruce Price in 1894, the church is an example of the Shingle Style. The walking tour continues along Shepard Road, named for this benefactor of the town.
Mary Eldridge built Battell Fountain in 1889 in memory of her uncle Joseph Battell. Designed by Stanford White with bronze work by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, the fountain is executed in pink stone in the conventional arrangement of round column topped by a sphere with a trough for animals on one side and a fountain for humans … Read more
This Memorial Fountain was placed at the front entrance to Center School (no longer standing) in 1917 and dedicated to Frederick M. Shepard who had given generously toward the construction of the school in 1915.
Originally hung in the tower of the Royal Arcanum building, the fire bell was a gift to the town from Frederick M. Shepard in 1907. The bell was struck by the Meneely Bell Co. of Troy, NY. It was moved to this location when the new firehouse was built in 1974.
Erected in 1868 to the design of William A. Burdick, the granite obelisk bears the names of thirty-five Norfolk soldiers who were killed in the line of duty during the War of the Rebellion. Funds for the monument were largely raised by private subscription.
Now a private residence, this was a mission church that served, among others, factory workers in industries along the Blackberry River, with occasional services held in the Aetna Silk Mill. The classical entrance treatment and the gable “temple” front are marks of the Greek Revival style, popular in the 1830’s and 1840’s. The square steeple … Read more
This Queen Anne-style building with varied shingle work was erected in the 1890’s by William Thurston for his plumbing business. Note the quarter-round brackets with an incised radial pattern that support the first floor pent roof.
Now a private residence, this building was originally built as the Norfolk Drug Store, purchased by George T. Johnson in 1876. It is said that when he came east from Texas, Johnson intended to go to Norfolk, Virginia, but when he purchased his ticket at Grand Central Station in New York he was mistakenly given … Read more
Built in 1886, this house was acquired by the Mead family in 1893 and was the summer residence of Charles Mead, brother of architect William R. Mead of the renowned firm McKim, Mead & White and of the neoclassical expatriate sculptor Larkin Goldsmith Mead.
This house was purchased by the Hookers in 1896. The sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Isabella Beecher Hooker and her husband lived in Hartford and spent summers in Norfolk. Isabella was an active proponent of women’s rights and suffrage.