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: Caleb B. Rogers Biography: Click Here
Added: Winslow Tracy Williams Biography: Click Here
Added: Sarah Osgood Biography: Click Here
Added: John C. Perkins Biography: Click Here
Added: George W. Kies Biography: Click Here
Added: William Henry Huntington Biography: Click Here
1666-1727 Sarah Knight
Norwich History … It Never Gets Old
Sarah Kemble Knight was a prominent colonial businesswoman, educator, and diarist who left a lasting mark on Norwich. Born in Boston to Captain Thomas Kemble, a well-to-do merchant, and Elizabeth Trerice. Sarah married Richard Knight in 1689 and had one daughter, Elizabeth. After her husband’s death, Madam Knight demonstrated exceptional self-reliance and commercial acumen at a time when few women independently managed large-scale business enterprises.
Madam Knight first appeared in Norwich in 1698, arriving with goods to sell and was listed in public records as a widow and shopkeeper. During this initial three- to four-year stay, she established herself as a “widow and shopkeeper.” She actively conducted business as an early female merchant in Norwich, engaging in retail trade and supplying goods to the townspeople.
Afterward, she returned to Boston temporarily, where she kept a shop and taught school. By 1704, while in Boston, people widely admired her literary accomplishments, refined taste, and independent character.
During this period, she undertook her famous, solitary horseback ride to New York and back, keeping the journal that preserved her observations of early New England life. Her writings provided sharp insights into colonial trade, noting how Connecticut merchants rated goods based on payment type—whether in grain, pork, beef, wampum, or hard money.
Click HERE to learn more about Sarah Knight and read her famous journal
Click HERE to read previous “Norwich History … It Never Gets Old” articles
“Norwich History … It Never Gets Old” is published here every Friday.
The next issue will appear here on Friday, October 23
Sarah Kemble Knight
*Place your cursor over image to magnify
An historical fiction novel by Bob Dees about Norwich's 1850s Gold Mining Company. Click image to see.
The IconicNorwich.org website was designed, developed, and is maintained by Bob Dees