Norge, Virginia

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Norge is an unincorporated community in James City County, Virginia, United States.

[edit] History

The Norge depot at its original site on Peach Street.

The new community of Norge was formally established beginning in 1904 in western James City County by Norwegian-Americans and other Scandinavians, with persons resettling from other places in North America joined by new immigrants. The word Norge is the common Norwegian spelling of Norway. Land at Norge was reasonably priced and offered rich farm land in a gentler climate than that of the northern and Midwestern states, where some of the immigrants had originally settled upon coming to America.

For some years, prospective new residents were introduced to the area through promotional material sent out by Carl Martin Bergh, a fellow Norwegian-American with farming experience who had become a land agent for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). The railroad had been built through the area in 1881 to reach from the mountains of West Virginia to the coal piers on Hampton Roads at the new city of Newport News in adjacent Warwick County. Originally known as Vaiden's Siding, the C&O built a railroad station at Norge in 1908, offering a convenient point for shipping farm produce to places such as Richmond. By 1909, Norge contained 25 buildings, including homes, churches, stores and other businesses.

Norge was located on the old Richmond-Williamsburg Stage Road, which is U.S. Route 60 in modern times. Interstate 64 was built through the area in the 1970s, and passes nearby. Exit 231 is labeled "Croaker-Norge" for the two small communities nearby.

Although the railroad station was closed in 1969, and C&O passenger service ended in 1971, Amtrak continues to serve the area with a stop at the Williamsburg, Virginia station. In February, 2006, the historic Norge railroad station building (circa 1908) of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was relocated about 1 mile to a site adjacent to the James City County Branch of the Williamsburg Regional Library (opened in 1996) on Croaker Road. The following month, work was underway to set a new foundation for the building.

In 1992, the Norge Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Norge's landmarks include the Doll Factory, Viking Hall, and the former Williamsburg Soap and Candle Factory.

[edit] Further reading

Bradshaw, Nancy Smith and Frances Huckstep Hamilton. (1989) Velkommen til Norge: A Pictorial History of Norge, Virginia
McCartney, Martha W. (1977) James City County: Keystone of the Commonwealth; James City County, Virginia; Donning and Company; ISBN 0-89865-999-X
Traser, Donald R. (1998) Virginia Railway Depots. Old Dominion Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. ISBN 0-9669906-0-9
Norge Village a commercial site with summary history of Norge