The Norway Historical Society, founded in 1974 and incorporated in 1977, is dedicated to preserving the long history of the town and the many great contributions of its citizens.

The Society’s home, located at the corner of Main and Whitman Streets in downtown Norway, is the Mark P. Smith house.  Smith was a successful businessman who established a tannery on the street that still carries that name, and a grist mill in the Steep Falls section of town,  Built circa 1828 on the corner of Main and Danforth Streets, the house was moved around the corner in the 1950s to face Danforth Street.  In 1977, Norway Savings Bank purchased the property in preparation for expansion, and offered the building to the Society.  The house was moved to its current location in 1978, where it serves as the Society’s museum and meeting facility.

The Society maintains extensive local newspaper records dating from 1850, vital statistic records, and genealogies of many local families, all of which are available to researchers.  The museum houses a large collection of items and documents from all eras of Norway’s history.  If you visit our museum, we are happy to help you locate the information you seek.  We appreciate advance notice, if possible.

If you are unable to come to the museum, we will search appropriate records for the information you seek and provide copies to you.  There is no charge for the first hour of research; however, requests that take longer than an hour, or lengthy, ongoing requests will be charged a $25/hour fee after the initial hour of research.  If you have questions, please send us an email.

The museum is open to the public year round on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m, Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the summer (Memorial Day to Labor Day), and by appointment.  Admission is free.