Beginning in the late nineteenth century, immigrants streamed into Norwood, attracted by work at industrial sites such as Morrill Ink Works, Norwood Press, and Bird & Sons. Arriving from Lithuania, Poland, Syria, and Italy, they took up residence in the southernmost section of town, nicknamed ¿the Flats.¿ Facing prejudice and isolation from the more established community, the area became a self-contained neighborhood characterized by small businesses, ethnic cooperative markets, benevolent associations, and the St. George, St. Peter¿s, and St. George Orthodox parishes. Today, the immigrant population still thrives, and generations of families keep this melting pot alive with fairs, festivals, and neighbors who truly care about one another.

Sent on a mission to New York he gets involved in a wild journey that takes him in and out of stolen cars, freight trains, and buses. By the time he returns home to Texas, Norwood has met his true love, Rita Lee, on a bus; befriended the second shortest midget in show business and “the world's smallest perfect fat man†?; and helped Joann “the chicken with a college education,†? realize her true potential in life. As with all Portis’ fiction, the tone is cool, sympathetic, and funny.

The year 1997 marks the 125th anniversary of the town of Norwood, which was historically composed of the villages of Tiot, South Dedham, The Hook, Swedeville, The Ward, Cork City, Dublin, South Norwood, Morse Hill, Christian Hill, Westover, and Ellis. The Norwood Historical Society--founded at the very beginning of the twentieth century--has served as a repository of images from all these communities, and it is with great pride that the society offers the enclosed selections from its photographic archives in this timely publication. Many of the images in this collection, which chronicles the community's development from a rural village through the industrial and technological eras, have never before been published. The glass-plate negatives on which they were preserved were only recently discovered in the society's attic. Some images are attributed to the famous Norwood photographer Fred Holland Day, whose interest in the history of his hometown and passion for the art of photography provided the inspiration for this book. All of the images work together to illustrate a way of life now long forgotten, and to document the existence of historical sites, some of which remain standing today and others of which have succumbed to the ravages of time.

Before Norwood, Massachusetts became a town in 1872, hardy settlers from Dedham left security and comfort behind and began building homes along the Neponset River and Hawes Brook. Living in an area still known as the South Parish, these hard-working citizens fought for their values in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The town encouraged industry and diversity, expanding its primarily agricultural base until the community could boast a stable, if ever changing, economy. Wealthy industrialists and working-class immigrants united to build this New England town and to foster its growth into the Norwood of today: a vital community that residents are proud to call home. Norwood: A History recounts stories of the visionaries produced here, such as Captain Aaron Guild, who "left plough in furrow and oxen standing" to join the April 19, 1775, battle at Lexington. The formation and success of the Civic Association and the hospital were due to the perseverance of the public-spirited population, guided by the charismatic and driven George Willett. Readers will discover how athletics helped put Norwood on the map, from the polo fields of W. Cameron Forbes to the reign of Roll-Land as one of the country's premiere roller-skating arenas. As tales of years gone by give way to progress, Norwood: A History also looks ahead to new enterprises, which have followed in the footsteps of companies such as Winslow Brothers and Smith and the Norwood Press.