NORWAY – Residents of Norway have a long history of taking matters into their own hands and “making it happen” for themselves. According to Stuart Goodwin, one example is the shoe industry of the 1870s, which he will discuss at the Norway Historical Society meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 21.

Goodwin said Norway changed the industry of shoemaking from a cottage business to a major manufacturing industry when enterprising citizens decided to build a large factory, then find a shoe company to move into it.

B.F. Spinney, a company from Massachusetts, was the first to come to town and started a profitable business that employed a large work force.

That company and those that followed became an important part of the industrial and social fabric of the town for many years.

Everyone is invited to share family memories, photos and objects related to the manufacturing and selling of shoes and to learn about this aspect of Norway’s industrial past. Refreshments will follow Goodwin’s talk.

The society is located on the corner of Main and Whitman streets across from the Advertiser/Democrat. It is open from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesdays and Saturdays during the summer and welcomes visitors and members. For more information, call 743-7377.