Norwood

By Guy Scott

The village of Norwood is located in the Township of Asphodel in the eastern end of Peterborough County. Asphodel Township has 2 main villages: Norwood and Hastings, the latter spanning the Trent River and shared with Percy Township in Northumberland County. The earliest settlers came in the 1820s from Northumberland County, especially Colborne and Brighton. Northumberland County had been settled by Loyalists in the 1780s and “Late Loyalists” from the United States in the early 1800s. These ‘Late Loyalists’ were American settlers looking for cheap or free land. Such a family was the Keeler family from Vermont. Joseph Keeler made a deal with the Government of Upper Canada: If he brought 25 families from the United States, he would receive a large land grant near Colborne. He kept his word. The next generation of Keelers were the founders of Norwood.

In 1825, Joseph Keeler built a grist mill on the Ouse Rivier at the future at the future site of Norwood. The grist mill was a huge bonus: the only other one in the area was at Peterborough. Settlement was spreading north and soon the area was filled with pioneer farmers. Norwood became a shopping centre serving the farm community in Eastern Peterborough County. Industries such as saw mills, carriage factories, cheese factories, etc. sprang up in the village. The arrival of the railway in 1885 further cemented the village as an industrial hub for the area.

The railway was the main CPR line from Toronto to Ottawa. Norwood had 4 passenger trains per day as well as numerous freight trains. The CPR eventually built another line to Ottawa along the Lake Ontario shore and the busy line through Norwood slowed down. With the railway came prosperity. The 1910 business directory for Norwood listed the following professions:

Agricultural Implement Dealers 5

Blacksmiths 3

Harness makers 3

Carriage maker 1

Cheese factory 1

Cheese box maker 1

Machinist 1

Sawmill 1

Gristmill 1

Liveries 2

Grain elevator 1

Contractor 2

Coal dealers 1

Printer 1

Newspaper 1

Marble and stone 1

Doctors 2

Undertaker 1

Piano dealer 1

Boot maker 1

Drug store 2

Confectionary 1

Baker 1

Millinery 1

Furniture store 1

Hardware store 1

Bank 2

Hotel 1

General store 4

Junk dealer 1

It was quite an array of goods and services! The businesses and small factories were quite successful. This prosperity can be measured by the fine array of large homes/mansions that were built along Peterborough Street (Highway #7) by the successful. Most of these mansions still grace the village today.

A century ago, Norwood was the second largest town in Peterborough County. (They did have TWO banks!) When the Peterborough County Agricultural Society was split into two districts, Norwood was granted the East Riding of Peterborough annual fair. Today the Norwood Fair still continues this tradition with a huge exhibition on Thanksgiving weekend. Recently, Norwood has become famous as an incubator for rock & roll musicians. The band Three Days Grace and My Darkest Days were formed by music     ians from Norwood and have gone on to success on the music scene.