Norfolk

Janet Portiner

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781467113984
• eBook ISBN: 9781439651902
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 20th Century History
• Index: History

In July 1866, three wagon trains of German immigrants from Wisconsin arrived at their new home on the North Fork of the Elkhorn River in northeastern Nebraska. The settlers intended to call the town Northfork, but in 1868, when the abbreviated "Norfork" was submitted to federal postal authorities, the government assumed the name was misspelled and changed it to Norfolk. Since the town's founding, the story of the community has been one of continuous growth that has led to a bountiful, thriving town. Norfolk's hardworking people are generous, welcoming, and open to new ideas. Though it has changed with time, the unconquerable spirit of the city remains young and active. Images of Modern America: Norfolk is a photographic journey into the 21st century.

One

WE LEARN

Alma Wichman was head librarian at the Norfolk Public Library until her retirement in 1973. This photograph was taken in 1960. She was a knowledgeable person and forward thinker who stated: “If we are going to progress, we will need to think in terms of library systems instead of one small library serving each town.” (Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library.)

Young readers receive awards for participating in the Norfolk Public Library’s Fishing Book Club in 1961. The library has continued to be a popular draw for those who want to sign up for the Summer Reading Program. Book discussions flourish here, with three groups for adults, the Young Adult Book Group for teens, and the Golden Sower Book Club for those aged 8 to 12. (Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library.)

Alma Wichman and Dorathy Mille use shopping carts from Safeway to return books to the shelves after the Norfolk Public Library was painted. This picture was taken in the building at Norfolk Avenue and Eighth Street, which was financed by Andrew Carnegie and completed in 1910. The library moved to a 22,000-square-foot facility in 1977, quadrupling in size. (Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library.)

Library director Jessica Chamberlain reads to children at Wesley Center Childcare and Preschool for the Read Aloud Norfolk program. Since 2003, the children’s literacy program has encouraged reading aloud to children from an early age by distributing free books, including the “Read to Your Bunny” books given to new moms and dads as they leave the hospital. Read Aloud Norfolk also presents the annual Children’s Day Festival at Sunset Plaza. (Courtesy of the author.)

In 1977, the Norfolk Public Library moved from the Andrew Carnegie building on Norfolk Avenue into this newly constructed building at 308 West Prospect Avenue. In 2014, citizens voted to renovate the library and add an extra 16,000 square feet. Construction is expected to begin in 2017. (Courtesy of the Norfolk Public Library.)

Students from Lincoln Elementary School embark on a field trip in the 1990s. These children were looking forward to a much-anticipated day away from their regular lessons. Lincoln Elementary is one of the oldest grade schools in Norfolk. The building became home to a Montessori public elementary school, preschool, and early childhood center in 2010. (Courtesy of the author.)

Sixth grade students from St. John’s Battle Creek School learned about Norfolk’s Life Flight services during a field trip to Faith Regional in 2010. The students, pictured from left to right, are (first row) Caleb Sextro, Carter Nicolay, Alec Dietrick, Kaleb Rath, and Max Dederman; (second row) John Kirby, Garret Ruge, Caleb Zohner, Joshua Schick, Austin Hurlburt, Dirk Mullner, and Cody Borgelt. (Courtesy of Marcie Sextro.)

In 1987, Norfolk’s youth learned about fire safety at the Northeast Nebraska Public Safety Training Facility on East Benjamin Avenue. Employees of the Norfolk Fire Division first proposed the concept of the training facility in 1983. Their ideas became a reality when this structure opened in 1985. The tower has an outside ladder that leads to a landing on the roof, for rope rappelling and rescue training. The facility is also used for live fire training, interior search and rescue, fire sprinkler operations, confined space entry, and roof ventilation. (Courtesy of the City of Norfolk.)

These young workers are busy cleaning up an area that was soon to become the Norfolk Arts Center’s courtyard. In 2000, the space was remodeled to include an enclosed yard with landscaping, stone benches, planters, and a fountain. (Courtesy of the Norfolk Arts Center.)

In 2009, Northeast Community College was the first school in the state to offer a wind energy technician diploma. This turbine blade is 121 feet long and is used to teach work safety and blade defect inspection. College students assembled the wind turbine pictured on the back cover, which is located at Victory Road and Benjamin Avenue. It can generate enough electricity to power more than one building on campus. (Courtesy of the author.)

Before computerized electronic tracks, pinewood derby cars raced on wooden ramps like this one. Cub Scout Pack 131 ran this derby in the lunchroom of Christ Lutheran School in the early 1990s. Scouts and their adult helpers create the cars from a block of wood, wheels, axles, and lots of imagination. (Courtesy of Darrold and Sandy Lidgett.)

Boy Scout Troop 122 folds a flag at the Kiwanis camp in 1997. Facing forward and folding the flag is Craig Maguire, while Nick Bergland salutes. Started in 1929, Troop 122 is the oldest Boy Scout troop in Madison County. It was chartered by the Izaac Walton League and later sponsored by the Norfolk Noon Kiwanis beginning March 21, 1932. (Courtesy of Darrold and Sandy Lidgett.)

In 2008, construction began on the welcome center at Northeast Community College. The $7.7 million project was built to house the college’s administrative offices and student...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. We Learn
• 2. We Entertain
• 3. We Grow and Change
• 4. We Gather Together
• 5. We Make a Difference
• 6. We Remember