Daniels - Norwood

IMAGES
of America

NORWOOD
19401979

ON THE COVER: One of the busiest intersections in Norwood is Montgomery Road at the crossings of Carthage Avenue, Smith Road, Norwood Avenue, and Harris Avenue. Not only did auto traffic slow down here, but buses and streetcars added to the congestion. (Courtesy of the Norwood Historical Society.)

IMAGES
of America

NORWOOD
19401979

Susan Daniels

Copyright 2017 by Susan Daniels
ISBN 978-1-4671-2625-0
Ebook ISBN 9781439661192

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016960215

For all general information, please contact Arcadia Publishing:
Telephone 843-853-2070
Fax 843-853-0044
E-mail sales@arcadiapublishing.com
For customer service and orders:
Toll-Free 1-888-313-2665

Visit us on the Internet at www.arcadiapublishing.com

#NorwoodStrong

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Norwood Historical Society was founded on May 2, 1978, and has been preserving our local history ever since by building a vast collection of local images, ephemera, and artifacts. Donations to the historical society came from the Norwood Health Department, Norwood Fire Department, Norwood Police Department, area organizations and civic groups, and the family albums of locals. The images used in this book come exclusively from the collection of the Norwood Historical Society.

INTRODUCTION

Settlers moved into the area that is now Norwood as early as 1787, but it was not until 1809 that two settlers, Samuel D. Bowman and John Sharp, helped build this small town into more of a structured community, creating streets, taverns, and a coach stop. Norwood was known as Sharpsburg during this time, after John Sharp. For the next several decades, the community kept growing, with farmers buying land and railroad tracks being built. As the community grew, the name Sharpsburg was not growing on people, and it was suggested that the name Norwood, an abbreviation of Northwood, be used instead, as the town was in a wooded area north of Cincinnati. In 1870, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the old town of Sharpsburg has been changed to Norwood. The plots of land throughout Norwood were now being sold into large subdivisions each with its own name, such as East Norwood, Norwood Heights, Elsmere, and South Norwood, just to name a few. These names still exist in Norwood.

Norwood kept growing, and to keep up with this growth, the town needed schoolhouses, more homes, and government leaders. In 1888, Norwood officially became incorporated as a village, which was approved by the commissioners of Hamilton County. After the villages incorporation, Norwoods first mayor was Dr. John C. Weyer.

In 1902, the city of Cincinnati tried to annex Norwood as it kept getting bigger. However, with a difference of 55 votes, Norwood citizens rejected annexation. Once Norwoods population grew to 6,480, the village was eligible to become an official city. Later in 1902, the same voters who voted against annexation approved the village of Norwood becoming the city of Norwood.

Now that Norwood was an official city, the mixture of homes, small shops, restaurants, and schools made it attractive to several large industrial companies that took up residence here. These companies grew along with Norwood. The pictures chosen for this book capture Norwoods best days due to the combination of good leaders, small businesses, large industrial companies, citizens, and schools.

In the chapter Along Montgomery Road, experience what the streets once looked like. Montgomery Road, which also used to be called the Pike, is Norwoods main artery. Its roughly 16.4 drivable miles shoot through Hamilton County, with about 2.4 miles through Norwood. The city is currently made up of 3.15 square miles, which used to be full of booming small businesses along Montgomery Road. The city had at least one drugstore, restaurant, clothing store, grocery store, and shoe store on just about every block during the decades that this book covers. Street structures have dramatically changed throughout the decades due to highways being built and large corporations demanding large parking lots. What used to be homes and small businesses are now open pavement.

Norwood has many main annual events, such as Norwood Day, as pictured in the chapter Norwood Events. The Norwood Day Parade is as strong today as it ever was, with thousands of spectators watching clubs, bands, and civic leaders stroll down Montgomery Road. While some events continue in Norwood, others have declined throughout the decades. However, in recent years, new events have been created to keep the sense of community pride Norwood still has. Started in 2012, Christmas Town is a winter event hosted by Norwoods Business & Professional Womens Club. This event takes place on Elm Avenue and inside the middle schools fieldhouse.

In the chapter Shopping and Dining, experience the many restaurants and shops Norwood had to offer. Many small restaurants in Norwood during those years, such as Graeters Ice Cream, Frischs, and Metropolitan Confectionery Company (now known as Aglamesis Brothers Ice Cream), just to name a few, have stood with the times and are as strong today as they were back then.

As time passes by and with the demand for keeping up with technology, traffic, and population growth, the city also had to keep building. In the chapter Building the City, the pictures reflect construction of new bridges, the Quality Inn Motel (also known as Quality Courts Motel), and the paving of roads. Going from brick roads to asphalt required a lot of concrete and took many years to complete.

In the chapter Clubs and Organizations, experience the diversity of clubs that took pride in and volunteered in the community. Many clubs and organizations once existed in Norwood, but only a portion remain active today.

In the chapter School Fun, experience academics, school spirit, and the playfulness of students. As the population grew, so did the number of schools. The high school was moved twice before settling in its permanent structure on Sherman Avenue in 1972.

In the chapter Working for Norwood, expansion of the city also meant growing the number of workers needed for maintenance and emergency services. The fire department grew from one firehouse to three during those decades to accommodate the population. The first three firehouses were spread out so that firefighters could get to homes or businesses much faster. Other services, such as buses and streetcars, also played a major role for those who did not own a vehicle. Many of the businesses to visit were on Montgomery Road. Some would call it Uptown, and those streetcars and buses drove right through that area, making shopping more accessible for everyone. However, with streetcars and buses also came traffic and many car accidents.

In the last chapter, Everyday Life, experience what Norwood was like on an everyday level. Throughout the book, readers can see everyday life, from riding the streetcar to parking dozens of bicycles on the street to shopping or seeing a movie. Even though large companies move in and out of the city and economics change over the decades, Norwood will always be home to the citizens who make up this great city. It is the citizens who will always stay true to Norwood and keep it strongthen, now, and forever.

One

DRIVING ALONG
MONTGOMERY ROAD