Norwood, NY

Norwood grew out of Potsdam in the 1870s, first taking the name Potsdam Junction before becoming the village on the Raquette River. The river gave the settlement waterpower, mills, and a route toward the St. Lawrence country, while the village's streets spread across parts of the towns of Potsdam and Norfolk. New York State Route 56 runs north and south through the center. The Norwood Museum, housed in the former Pease home on North Main Street, holds photographs, letters, and objects from the village's early years; the building also once housed the Norwood Public Library after Ella Pease left it to the library.

Norwood Village Green is the center of the warm-weather calendar, with a band shell that has hosted the free Village Green Concert Series since 1975. The Raquette River brings a boat launch, fishing, paddling, and the annual Raquette River Marathon, while Norwood Beach gives residents another place to meet the water. Main Street businesses, the museum, village offices, and the Norwood-Norfolk school network sit within a short drive of the river. Norwood is a North Country village whose history runs on two parallel lines: the road through town and the river beside it.