Norway History
Norway was incorporated in
1797 when Maine was part of Massachusetts.
The town grew throughout the first half of the 19th Century,
due to its position as a trading center for the surrounding area. In the middle of that century, Norway
commenced a steady 100-year expansion of farming, milling and
manufacturing. Prosperous sawmills,
textile mills, tanneries, saddle manufacturers and shoe factories operated in
Norway during this period. Downtown grew to accommodate major retail and
wealthy residential neighborhoods.
A fire destroyed most of the
eastern end of Maine Street in 1894.
The great reconstruction that followed is a defining period in Norway’s
history. Most of the rebuilt structures
stand today as some of the best examples of period architecture in Maine. These buildings comprise Norway’s historic
district.
From the 1950’s to the
present day, Norway’s traditional economy declined severely. All but one of the commercial dairy farms
went out of business, and many of the historic factories and downtown stores
moved away or closed altogether. The
jobless rate remained near 10% for most of that period until only recently.
Today many Norway residents
work in service industries, in the manufactured housing plants in nearby
Oxford, or commute to jobs outside the area.
Three of the biggest employers in Norway are the hospital and its
related health care programs, the school system, located in both Norway and
nearby South Paris, and New Balance Footwear, located adjacent to the downtown
area. The town center remains viable,
but its future remains uncertain, as the modern economic base sprawls further
out along the Route 26 corridor to Lewiston, Auburn and Portland located within
45 minutes of Norway.
Norway’s first
revitalization effort took place over 100 years ago. Approximately 85 structures in the downtown area were destroyed
by fire in 1894, and were quickly rebuilt with many larger buildings using
brick construction. According to the
Maine Historic Preservation Commission, downtown Norway displays some of the
best examples of period architecture to be found anywhere in Maine. Seventy-two of these remarkable buildings
are listed on the National Historic Register of Historic Places and compose
Norway’s Historic District. Main Street
appears and functions much as it did at the turn of the 20th Century.
