Collections
Photographs, documents,
maps, books, family histories, local papers, clothing of Norton’s early
settlers, and other items relating to the history of our City.
In conjunction with the Norton Alumni Association, there is a section
devoted to the Norton Public Schools, including the record of every
graduating class since 1895.
Century Homes
A Committee has been designated to establish the procedure for
homeowner application and a method to appropriately mark homes or other
important structures built over 100 years prior to the application.
Society
A steering committee interested in researching and recording Norton history met in April 1984 with Katharine Kendall the acting chairperson. In November, Phyllis Arkett, William Blackburn, Katherine and Norman Kendall, Donald Miller, Jill Miller, Kathleen Pantuso, Ernest Seiberling, Cyndee Simmons, Paul Suloff, George Tomko, and Cliff Wooding met with Susan Wasick of the Copley Historical Society to discuss objectives of forming a Norton Historical Society.
Area History
Norton Township became a Village in 1961 and a City in 1969. As a township, and prior to the establishment of the city of Barberton in 1892, Norton consisted of seven little hamlets: Norton Center, Loyal Oak, Western Star, Sherman, Hametown, Johnson’s Corners, and New Portage. There were few settlers until after the war of 1812. Then the New Englanders came, followed shortly by persons of German descent from Pennsylvania.
Norton derived its name from Birdseye Norton, the chief landowner and a cousin of David Hudson, founder of Hudson Township. Norton was known throughout the area for its fertile land and prosperous farms. Coal was prevalent in the southwestern portion of the township.
