Village Of Norwood New York Museum-Part 2

I was touring the village museum in Norwood, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and came to the kitchen, which was filled with old time implements:

A hand cranked washing machine and washboard:

I was told that this was the bedroom of the former home owner, a doctor and Civil War veteran, much as he had left it:

This bureau, which matched the bed, must have been expensive in its day, but something a doctor could afford:

There was a military room, filled with photos, flags, helmets and a wheelchair:

And uniforms from various eras:

A children's room with toys:

And children's clothing:

This gruesome and frightening contraption was a hair curler. Oh, the prices women paid to try to look beautiful!

Women's clothing and dolls:

More women's clothing, including a scout leader's uniform:

The Norwood Fire Department is well known for its marching band, the Brass Fireman. They were honored at the museum with artifacts, photos and trophies. But this was the end of my museum tour. I thanked the historian and made my way outside to begin the drive home:

Village Of Norwood, New York Museum-Part 1

The Village of Norwood museum is only open four hours per week in the summer and I hadn't been there in several years, so one afternoon I returned to have another look. There were several people there, sorting and cleaning, and all were friendly and welcoming:

I began in the parlor. I was told that this house once belonged to the village doctor, and this room was his office and examination room:

The inlaid floor was dramatic, and evidence of the railroad money which once made this town prosperous:


Now the room is a comfortable looking, Victorian Era parlor:


The next room was a tribute to the town's railroading history. They had more railroad lanterns than I've ever seen in one place:

I imagine that town residents donated most of the artifacts in this museum as well as all the other town museums I've been to:

Toy train cars, photos and memorabilia:

This old high button shoe was found inside a wall in a local house which was being remodeled. The tool with the hook was to help with the cumbersome job of getting in and out of such a shoe:

A room filled with village mementos:

Typewriters so old that they were even before my time:

A very old and faded red wig and a deluxe hairbrush set. I could only imagine that the bright red wig was used by a woman of dubious morals who entertained the railroad crew and passengers at the American Hotel, which used to be just down the street:

A baby's bonnet and more high-top shoes. There was a lot more to see at the museum and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Norwood Village Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Norwood Museum, located in the former home and office of the village doctor, a Civil War veteran. This living room/parlor may once have been his office or waiting room:

The Historian pointed out this photo to me of the five ladies with extraordinarily long hair. He'd found the photo underneath an old cabinet and the ladies, according to the note, were five sisters of Annie Dove Welch of the nearby American Hotel:

The bedroom of the doctor and Civil War veteran who used to own this home:

Did the doctor comb his hair at this mirror? I don't know, but it was fun to ponder:

The Norwood Fire Department is well known for its marching band, The Brass Firemen. It caused me to wonder if the "Green Acres" episode with a similarly musical fire department had been inspired by the village of Norwood, New York:

There were quite a few memories associated with the Brass Firemen:

The museum had a room devoted to the military:

And a room full of toys and children's clothing:

I especially liked these dolls and carousel:

Women's clothing:

More children's clothes, doll and pram:

More women's clothes from various eras. I'd enjoyed my tour of the Norwood Museum and will keep my eyes open for the opening of their railroad museum:

The Norwood Village Museum - Part 1

I enjoy touring the small town museums in the area, but most of them are only open a few days per week and only in the summer. So as soon as it began opening, I drove to this former brick home on Main Street in Norwood to take a look:

The Village Historian introduced himself and welcomed me. I signed the guest book and began wandering through the rooms of the museum, which once served as the local doctor's home and office. The first exhibit had lots of old lanterns:

Toy trains and more lanterns:

More toy trains, photos and documents about railroads. It was at this point where I amazed the historian with my sharp mind by asking if Norwood used to be a railroad town. Indeed it had, and an important one at that. They are working on a railroad museum which may be open some time this summer:

There was an old wooden sign and sewing machine from the former Boyce Clothing Co. (Men's And Boys' Wear):

An old wig, which had lost most of its color, and a deluxe hairbrush set. The sign didn't say, but I imagined that the bright red wig must have been worn by some loose woman who entertained the railroad men at the former American Hotel, just down the street:

High-button shoes and other artifacts from the Victorian Era:

A lacy baby's bonnet and more high-topped shoes:

Carpenter's tools:

The kitchen was all decked out and furnished with utensils of every kind from bygone eras:

There was even a hand-crank washing machine:

Lots of bottles and kitchen tools. But I had more yet to see at the Norwood Museum, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Fine-N-Dandy Sugar House

I drove to a sugar house near the St. Lawrence River during the county's Maple Weekend but could not find it. I was on my back home, feeling discouraged, when I saw a sign pointing toward the town of Norwood which advertised a Maple Weekend Open House. Of course I headed that way and, when I got there, saw this wonderful sugar house built of logs:

I remembered that I had been there last year during St. Lawrence County's Maple Weekend but they'd built a new addition for storing maple sap out behind the sugar house since my last visit. Blue tubes transported the sap from the forest to the storage tanks beneath that roof. Mr. Finen, the owner, gave me a tour. The name, "Fine-N-Dandy," is a takeoff on his last name:

Another couple of people came to see the open house so I went inside the sugar house:

I really needed to use the outhouse but would have had to slog through a stretch of deep mud to get there. I decided that I could wait:

Inside the sugar house, there was maple syrup for sale:

And some neighbors, friends of Mr. Finen, who were hanging around and helping where they could:

The evaporator was huge, taking up most of the sugar house:

There was another room off to the side, so I headed toward the doorway:

In that room, a young couple and their two babies were sampling maple syrup, maple covered walnuts and maple cream. The maple cream, a spread with the consistency of peanut butter, was new to me so I tasted it also - and fell in love. I bought a jar of it to give my sister:

And then I went back into the main room where the evaporator was heating sap:

There were several chambers for the sap, and I believe that it progresses from one chamber to the next as it thickens - but I'm not at all sure how that works. I paid for my maple cream and some maple covered walnuts, thanked my host and headed back out to my car: