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NORWICH AREA
The area now known as Norwich ("North Village") was first settled in 1810 by Peter Lossing and his brother-in-law Peter DeLong and their families. At the recommendation of a Quaker friend, Lossing had traveled in 1809 to this area from Duchess County, New York, looking for a place to settle, and had found good land at 50 cents an acre, so he bought 15,000 acres and encouraged his family and friends to come. From 1810 to 1820, Quaker (Society of Friends) families whose names are still prominent in the community loaded up their covered wagons, hitched up the oxen, and braved the primitive bridges, dirt roads and wild animals to make the approximately three-week trek. By the time Lossing and his family established themselves in the Norwich area, there was at least one mill in the area then known as South Norwich (now Otterville). Mills, especially along the rivers and creeks, were a major type of early commercial venture¿both for lumber and for grains, as is made obvious by the name ¿Milldale¿ for the old village site immediately south of Norwich. Other local industry grew rapidly during the 19th century, with Norwich being the original business site of the enterprising Solomon Allen (¿Allen¿s Apple Juice¿), whose vinegar works are represented in the collection at the Norwich Historical Society Archives and Museum. Apple orchards and products are still a part of the economy in Norwich, as are other agricultural endeavors.
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