The Forgotten County Road
In 1820 a county road was laid out from Norway to Bethel through Fifield's Mills (now Greenwood City). This soon became the preferred route through town for travel and commerce, replacing a route to the west that ran over Patch Mountain and then northward to what would become the Irish Neighborhood. Still, those who traveled the "middle road" had complaints, and in 1837 forty-two residents of Bethel, Greenwood, and Norway petitioned the county commissioners to alter the road "so as to avoid Felt's Hill, Whittle Hill, and Pool's Hill (so called)." Their petition was granted. Three new sections of road were built, and in 1845 two of the old sections were discontinued, being now "of no benefit to anyone." From the Oxford Democrat of July 25, 1837 The road over Felt's Hill—later called Rowe Hill—remained in use, but another was built to the west, under a ledge and along the easterly side of Twitchell Pond. 1 Whittle's Hill lay south of t...
