The village had a blacksmith and harness shops, carriage works, woolen and flax mills, broom factory, ashery, bakery, brass foundry, general stores, Orange Lodge, Mechanic's Institute, and several hotels; Norval was a main stagecoach stop between Toronto and Guelph.

The Presbyterian Church had the first congregation, and build a frame church at Hillcrest Cemetery; it was replaced by a fine gothic church in 1878. The Methodists built a church in 1850 and replaced it with the brich one in 1889. The Anglican Church, built in 1846 on lands given by General Sir Peter Adamson and a street was named in his honour. All three heritage churches stand today.

The first school was a frame building near the cemetery. By the 1860's a brick school had been erected in the village.

The Norval Post Office

Norval Post Office was established in 1836 (earlier names, McNabsville or McNab's Mill). Tradition says the name Norval came from the Scottish play "Douglas", by poet John Home.

The valley of the Credit River was known to the Iroquois as "Onoront".

Road & Rail

The Guelph Plank Road was completed in 1851. The Grand Trunk Railway (later CNR) opened in July 1856, but Norval Station was over a mile north of the village. The station closed in the 1930's.

The Toronto-Guelph electric Suburban Railway (radial line) opened in 1917, with a switch into the village to serve the flour mills. The railway closed in 1931.

In the early 1920's three new bridges were built over the Credit River and the mill races, while the King's Highway No. 7 was paved. Norval was a village of bridges, at one time there were ten.

A Military Heritage

Norval had it's own militia company and drill shed. The only action they had was a trip to the Welland Canal, to protect it from an invasion of Fenians from the United States. A picnic and dance was held when they returned and the Queen was cheered.