By Grace Allen

On August 17, Norfolk historian Barbara Bartholomew was honored at a dedication ceremony at Fales Memorial Park Preserve. The late Bartholomew was instrumental in the creation of the park, which is located at 24 Campbell St. in Norfolk. 

Bartholomew, a lifelong resident who passed away on February 12, 2023 at the age of 90, was a member of the town’s historical commission and contributed significantly to maintaining Norfolk’s rich history throughout the years.

The ceremony was attended by town officials, historical commission members, and friends. 

According to Geri Tasker, chairperson of the Norfolk Historical Commission, Bartholomew was known as a tenacious researcher who dedicated herself to “unwinding and correcting the many local legends of Norfolk history and filling in the missing pieces.”

It was Bartholomew’s research that helped spur the creation of Fales Memorial Park. She discovered that in 1943, Bertha Fales, the author of the first history of Norfolk and the daughter of Silas E. Fales, Norfolk’s first Town Clerk, bequeathed 13.5 acres of her family’s land to the town of Norfolk with the goal of establishing a park and bird sanctuary. The gift somehow got overlooked in town files, and in 1980 the land was taken by eminent domain for the Charles River Watershed.

That did not deter Bartholomew, who was determined to find open space nearby to establish the park Bertha Fales had intended for the town. In 2009, voters at Town Meeting approved a warrant article creating the park from land purchased by the Conservation Commission at Highland Lake. It took 66 years for the park to become a reality, thanks in no small part to Bartholomew.

At the ceremony in August, the Historical Commission dedicated a bench to Bartholomew in recognition of her accomplishments, not just in creating the park but also in her dedication to preserving Norfolk’s history.

“She’s been called Norfolk’s walking history book, and I agree,” said Tasker. “She was just amazing.”

The park is set in a grove of trees overlooking picturesque Highland Lake. There are benches and picnic tables, and trails named for the Fales family branching off. Rizzo Santo, a Boy Scout in Troop 80, undertook cleanup of the park for his Eagle Scout project, removing fallen trees and clearing pathways. Rizzo also built and installed bird houses, unaware at the time that a bird sanctuary was one of Bertha Fales’, and then Bartholomew’s, intended uses for the park.

“It came full circle, and that was very cool,” said Tasker.

Bartholomew was a history teacher in Ashland and was active in both the Walpole and Norfolk historical commissions. She authored two books, “Life and Times of Bertha Fales” and “History on the Hill Collection.” She also collaborated on “The Settlement of Stop River Falls.”

There are five historical information panels in various areas of Norfolk, and Bartholomew was responsible for four of them. Similar to those used in national and state parks, the panels paint a narrative history of Norfolk’s important points of interest.

Bartholomew was instrumental in the water chestnut removal project in Highland Lake, which prevented the lake from turning into a swampy marsh.

She also served as a mentor to various Scouting projects around town, including the cleanup of headstones in the colonial section of the Norfolk Cemetery. 

After her death, the Norfolk Historical Commission was notified that Bartholomew bequeathed a portion of her estate to the town with the goal of establishing a scholarship for a college junior majoring in history, and for the establishment of a local history unit in the Norfolk public schools.

“History and research were so important to her, and this gift will ensure that her legacy will continue,” said Tasker. 

She added, “Barbara loved Norfolk and was dedicated to the town, and the establishment of Fales Memorial Park Preserve epitomizes her dedication to preserving Norfolk’s rich history. I think she and Bertha Fales would’ve been friends.”

The Norfolk Historical Commission is always looking for new members. Anyone with an interest in preserving history can contact the group for more information about their meetings and projects. Email them at [email protected].