This article appeared in the Wednesday, November 29, 1972 Courier & Freeman, and was written by Susan Lyman, Village of Norwood and Town of Potsdam historian:

 

Many and varied manufacturing enterprises have flourished in the hamlet of Racquetteville, and later in the growing incorporated Village of Norwood. However, there are no records available for many of these firms and we must rely on business directories and newspaper advertising for information.

 The earliest business directory in the Historian's office, an 1862 paper-covered pamphlet, lists A. Bicknell as the proprietor of a cheese box firm and T. Thayer, Jr., as a manufacturer of guns.

 Hollis S. Martin, who had run a hub factory in Norfolk in 1870, moved his business to Norwood about 1874 and with O.E. Martin set up in a large wooden building on Mechanic St., where they continued in the hub making business. Hollis S. Martin lived in the first house built on Cottage St., the home now occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Parr (10 Cottage Street). The hub factory, located on the site of the present day Conklin Feed Store, was destroyed by fire in April 1878, but was soon rebuilt on the same site.

 S. Ducolin was a manufacturer and dealer in stoves, tin, copper and iron wares. The organizational documents of the Norwood Fire Department (1876) mention S. Ducolin as the "former owner of a fire engine" and made him Chief Engineer of the village's two fire fighting companies.

 Pearson's broom handle and hoop factory was built by Enos & Macomber and came into the possession of A.M.H. Pearson in 1869. 40 to 50 thousand toy hoops and six to seven thousand broom handles were made annually by the eight employees. The plant was a casualty of an early spring flood.

 The Beam & Waldron Tannery was built in 1877, boasting 25 vats and a ten-horse power steam engine.

 The large four-story flouring mill of Hiram Rodee cost $35,000 to construct in the early 1870's but turned out as much as 200 barrels of flour in 24 hours on its five run of stones.

 Other firms doing business in the village in the last quarter of the 1800's were: Martin & Loveless, manufacturers of butter tubs; John A. Leatch, manufacturer and dealer in oak tanned harnesses and horse furnishings, with a shop in the Inman Block; Flood's Boot and Shoe Shop in the Morgan Block, "manufacturer of men's and boy's fine dress shoes and boots, either sewed or pegged"; Leonard & Martin who made butter tubs in a building on Norwood Lumber Co. property, known as the Box Factory and employed 13 men; and O.E. Martin who was listed as proprietor of the St. Lawrence Hub Factory in 1880.

 In Feb. 1879 a newspaper story tells that "T.A. Hall is manufacturing a fair stock of furniture with a view of starting a store to be located somewhere on Main St." A few months later mention is made of the Norwood Marble Works, started by M. Cummings & Co. and changed to the H.H.P. Lang & Co. when Lang joined the firm engaged in the "manufacturing and dealing in monuments, headstones, curbings in marble and granite, shop on Main St."

 Holden & Tilden were in the tin, sheet, iron and copper ware business in 1883. J.M. Tilden eventually became sole proprietor, and by 1900 the business was owned by Hart and Vanderwalker, operating from 42 Main St. W.B. Hart succeeded Hart & Vanderwalker.

 Another tin and sheet iron ware manufacturer, E.A. Weegar, was in business in 1905.

 An ice cream plant, the St. Lawrence Ice Cream Co. made a fine quality product in the former Catholic Church located on Railroad St., in the 1920's. The company went out of business, and after a long period of use by several different business firms, the building came into the possession of Glenford (Bud) Vorce who tore the old structure down.

 The A.J. Phillips Proprietory Medicine Company was located in buildings at the rear of 40 South Main St. and Dr. Vinicor's office, and made patent medicines until the 1930's.

 C.E. Hall, who resided in the handsome white columned house on North Main St., was the proprietor of the Norwood White Lead Works at one time.

 The Davis Thrashing machine factory was built by Wait Reynolds on the west side of the Raquette River, transferred to S. N. Davis who turned out 15 to 20 machines a year.

 One of the most cherished possessions of the Norwood Museum is the wooden patent model of a horse drawn hay rake, invented by Alexander O. Amos of Potsdam, patented Nov. 4, 1873 and for a period of two years manufactured by him in a building at the rear of 40 North Main St., (the former R.J. Plummer residence). The little building was later used by Robert Collins for a blacksmith shop.

 All of these firms once had an important part of the prosperity of the Village of Norwood but are now virtually unknown. Having served their purpose in history, they have quietly passed from the scene. An interesting story could be written if only there were records in existence.

 

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