Experience 300 Years of Norwich History
The primary goal of this website is to educate the public about Norwich, Connecticut’s rich heritage and history spanning the 300-year period from 1659 to 1959. The site offers quick and easy access to an extensive collection of media, focusing on Norwich’s historical events, places, and other interesting tidbits.
This site is entirely free of charge
IconicNorwich.org features over 3,000 concise articles and numerous historical maps of Norwich. The articles are organized into more than 30 categories. The Bibliography connects you to thousands of historical web-based links from Norwich. Several quizzes, prepared presentations, and crossword puzzles are provided to enhance the learning environment.
You are invited to add or contribute to new or existing placemarks by filling out the form in the “Contribute Article” section.
Recent Updates to IconicNorwich.org
Added: Civil War Vets Buried in Norwich: Click Here
Updated: Major update to the Bibliography: Click Here
Updated: “Find Articles” search tables: Click Here
Added: Norwich History Never Gets Old booklet: Click Here
Updated: 1803 Map of Norwich: Click Here
1845: St. Patrick’s Day in Norwich
Norwich History … It Never Gets Old
The first St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601, in St. Augustine, Florida. And, 244 years later, on March 17, 1845, Reverend Daniel Kelly of the St. Mary’s Church in Greeneville planted a cross at the site of today’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Norwich.
Twenty-three years later, in 1868, a former Civil War chaplain, Reverend Daniel Mullin, arrived in Norwich and followed in Reverend Kelley’s footsteps as the new leader of St. Mary’s Church. Reverend Mullin was the creative spark that ignited efforts to design and build St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
During the next several years, Rev. Mullin purchased tracts of land on Broadway that would later be used as a convent and school.
On St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1870, Rev. Mullin and Dr. Patrick Cassidy left St. Mary’s Church in Greeneville and marched with 1,547 parishioners to consecrate the land for the future Patrick’s Cathedral.
The booklet, shown on the right, was published in 1954, on the 75th Anniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Pages 9-13 present a detailed account of the early history of the church.
Click HERE to learn more about the many historic churches in Norwich.
Click HERE to read previous “Norwich History … It Never Gets Old” articles
New “Norwich HIstory … It Never Gets Old,”
articles are posted here on Fridays
Click the small, square box with four arrows to read the 1954 brochure that chronicles the history of St. Patrick’s Cathedral
An historical fiction novel by Bob Dees about Norwich's 1850s Gold Mining Co.
Click On Image To Learn More
The IconicNorwich.org website was designed, developed, and is maintained by Bob Dees