February 1: Tales from the Schoolhouses with Wendy Thompson and Cam Cross, former teachers at Marion Cross. Did you know that at one time Norwich had 20 schoolhouses full of students learning, playing, and pranking their teachers. We’ll share old photos and tell some of the tales. This will be a fun talk for all ages.

Join NHS at 6:00 for the 2023 Annual Meeting which we will hold before this talk.

February 8: Eat Drink and Be Merry! 

Have you ever wondered who Jasper Murdock was? Did you know there were stills in the Norwich hills?  Sarah Rooker will share stories about the production of cider, beer, and other beverages in Norwich as well as stories about the efforts to curb production and the resulting bootlegging.  We’ll also have a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of Jasper Murdock’s Alehouse.

This program is in collaboration with the Norwich Inn


 

February 15: Norwich’s Big Trees with the Norwich Public Library, AJ Follensbee, Windsor/Orange County Forester and the Norwich Conservation Commission. Last fall Norwich Public Library led a “Big Tree” project, identifying some of our largest trees. AJ Follensbee will talk about how to date trees and assess trees’ health. The Conservation Commission will talk about recent initiatives and share resources for caring for your land.


February 22: Nordic skiing trails in Norwich and beyond with John Morton, founder of Morton Trails, and the designer of over 100 trail projects across the United States and abroad. Learn more about the trails John has designed in Norwich as well as the stories of people who once lived on the former farmland.

February 29: Rising Waters: Flooding in Norwich with Michael Simpson, Director, Leadership and Management of Sustainable Systems Program, Antioch University and Sarah Rooker, Director, Norwich Historical Society. Sarah Rooker will share Norwich’s history of freshets, floods, and dams and their impact on the community. Michael will follow up with a discussion about how streams and rivers are being affected by climate change and how we can mitigate some of the potential impacts.