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 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 Peninsula Extension of 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. The Norge Depot offered a convenient point for shipping farm produce to places such as Richmond. 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.
By 1909, Norge contained 25 buildings, including homes, churches, stores and other businesses. Some of the original buildings still stand today. Norge Depot, originally located on Peach Street when it was built in 1907, was once the center of life in Norge.
The Norge Depot was recently relocated from it's original location and lives next door to the James City County Public Library. The depot has been converted into a fabulous museum -- with FREE admission -- where you can see and learn a lot of local history. And an old caboose has recently arrived and will be open soon after it receives some TLC. Volunteers man the train museum on Saturdays 10am--12pm and Sunday 2pm--4pm, so please stop by, say hello, and see and learn some cool local train history.
Additional information can be found here:
http://norgedepot.org/
Also, find them on Facebook as the Friends of Norge Depot