With the advent of 2022, the Town of Norwood celebrated its 150th anniversary. While now it is important to look to the future especially in these uncertain times it is also equally important to look back at the past and our origins. 

Before settlement by English colonists, the area that would become Norwood was originally a Native American hunting ground until the area was founded as the fourteenth area of Dedham by one Ezra Morse grandson of Samuel Morse who helped found the towns of Dedham and Medfield, Massachusetts. 

Ezra Morse also built the first house in what would become Norwood he also built a sawmill in 1699 in what would become South Norwood. 

For most of this period of time, Norwood remained a very quiet and unassuming place. That was, until 1775 when the first battles of the War for American Independence.

The area of South Dedham or Norwood founded a militia led by Captain Aaron Guild. This militia would respond to the British assault on Lexington and Concord. They arrived to fire on British forces at Concord and harried British forces as they retreated back toward the defenses of Boston. 

Over 26 native Norwood men are listed on the Roll of honor for the Revolutionary war.

After this point, the area would fall into relative obscurity though many men from Norwood would serve in the Civil War with 28 Norwood locals listed on the Official Roll of honor on the Norwood Historical Society website. 12 Norwood men are listed as killed in action during the Civil War.  

9 years after the end of the Civil War the town of Norwood was officially founded in 1872 formed out of several districts from both Walpole and Dedham. 

By 1890 the population of the young town reached 3,733 people and a year after that an official committee was formed to seek opportunities for growth in the town which would turn into the larger Norwood business association which made the deal to create the Norwood Press and The Security Manufacturing Company; the latter which would change its name to Holliston Mills. 

After this point, the town would weather the storm of the first world war with 561  men being listed on the roll of honor. 

Unfortunately for the world fate did not smile kindly and another war began and once again the people of Norwood answered the call of duty according to the Norwood Historical Society 

Roughly over 1,800 men served in the 2nd World War. 

After 150 years, Norwood has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It began as a small part of a much larger town. But soon would go out on its own and carve a small but rich name into the great tapestry of American history.