1903 Map of Norwich

About this map

The Chenango River valley serves as the industrial and transportation spine of this region at the start of the twentieth century, where the Utica Div Delaware Lackawanna and Western RR and the New York Ontario and Western RR converge at Norwich. This rail connectivity fueled the development of various Chenango County hubs, from the northern village of Earlville to the rural centers of Smyrna and Sherburne. Away from the river corridors, the landscape rises into a complex network of ridges and hollows, including Nigger Hill and Dark Hollow. These uplands are dotted with smaller agricultural and milling settlements such as Irelands Mills, Beaver Meadow, and North Pharsalia. The intricate hydrography of the area, defined by Canasawacta Creek and Otselic River, illustrates a reliance on local water power for the many scattered hamlets like Plymouth and Preston that defined the early dairy and milling economy of the central New York highlands.