Dedham, Massachusetts, United States

🇺🇸 Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on Boston's south-west border. On the north-west it is bordered by Needham, on the south-west by Westwood, and on the south-east by Canton. The town was first settled by European colonists in 1635.

History Settled in 1635 by people from Roxbury and Watertown, Dedham was incorporated in 1636. It became the county seat of Norfolk County when the county was formed from parts of Suffolk County on March 26, 1793. When the Town was originally incorporated, the residents wanted to name it "Contentment". The Massachusetts General Court overruled them and named the town after Dedham, Essex in England, where some of the original inhabitants were born. The boundaries of the town at the time stretched to the Rhode Island border.

At the first public meeting on August 15, 1636, eighteen men signed the town covenant. They swore that they would "in the fear and reverence of our Almighty God, mutually and severally promise amongst ourselves and each to profess and practice one truth according to that most perfect rule, the foundation whereof is ever lasting love".

They also agreed that "we shall by all means labor to keep off from us all such as are contrary minded, and receive only such unto us as may be probably of one heart with us, [and such] as that we either know or may well and truly be informed to walk in a peaceable conversation with all meekness of spirit, [this] for the edification of each other in the knowledge and faith of the Lord Jesus…" The covenant also stipulated that if differences were to arise between townsmen, they would seek arbitration for resolution and each would pay his fair share for the common good.

History: 18th century Just 15 months after asking for their own church, 40 men living on the north side of the Charles River suddenly asked the General Court to separate them from Dedham. Their petition cited the inadequate services provided, namely schools and churches. They also said that, if they were simply to be made a precinct instead of a separate town, that they would suffer political reprisals. Dedham agreed that the services were inadequate and did not oppose the separation, but did try to reduce the amount of land the separatists were seeking. Dedham also asked for a delay of one year. The General Court agreed with the petitioners, however, and created the new town of Needham with the original boundaries requested. Those who remained in Dedham still held rights to the unallotted lands in Needham, however, and any decrease in taxes would be offset by a decrease in expenditures. There may have also been some satisfaction in separating themselves from those on the other side of the 1704 power struggle.

In November 1798, David Brown led a group in Dedham protesting the federal government; they set up a liberty pole, as people had before the American Revolution. It carried the words, "No Stamp Act, No Sedition Act, No Alien Bills, No Land Tax, downfall to the Tyrants of America; peace and retirement to the President; Long Live the Vice President", referring to then-President John Adams and Vice President Thomas Jefferson. Brown was arrested in Andover but because he could not afford the $4,000 bail, he was taken to Salem for trial. Brown was tried in June 1799. Although he wanted to plead guilty, Justice Samuel Chase urged him to name those who had helped him or subscribed to his writings in exchange for freedom. Brown refused, was fined $480, and sentenced to eighteen months in prison. It was the most severe sentence up to then imposed under the Alien and Sedition Acts.

Dedham is home to the Fairbanks House, the oldest surviving timber-frame house in the United States, scientifically dated to 1637. On January 1, 1643, by unanimous vote, Dedham authorized the first taxpayer-funded public school, "the seed of American education". Its first schoolmaster, Rev. Ralph Wheelock, a Clare College graduate, was paid 20 pounds annually to instruct the youth of the community. Descendants of these students would become presidents of Dartmouth College, Yale University and Harvard University.

The first man-made canal in North America, Mother Brook, was created in Dedham in 1639. It linked the Charles River to the Neponset River. Although both are slow-moving rivers, they are at different elevations. The difference in elevation made the canal's current swift enough to power several local mills.

History: 19th century In 1818, though citizens were still taxed for the support of ministers and other "public teachers of religion", Dedham set a precedent toward the separation of church and state. Residents of the town selected a minister different than that chosen by the church members; the selection by residents was confirmed by the Supreme Judicial Court. This decision increased support for the disestablishment of the Congregational churches.

The local Endicott Estate burned to the ground in 1904 after the local volunteer fire department, responding to three separate fires burning simultaneously, reached the Endicott fire last. By the time they arrived, only ashes remained. It is said that the estate's owner, Henry Bradford Endicott (also founder of the Endicott Johnson Corporation) took the burning of the homestead as a divine command to rebuild (which he did). The rebuilt Endicott Estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The estate and surrounding grounds are open to the public, upholding Henry's stepdaughter Katherine's wish to use the house and property for "educational, civic, social and recreational purposes".

History: 20th century In 1921, the historic Sacco and Vanzetti trial was held in the Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham. Dedham Pottery is a cherished class of antiques, characterized by a distinctive crackle glaze, blue-and-white color scheme, and a frequent motif of rabbits and other animals. Dedham is sometimes called the "mother of towns" because 14 present-day communities were included within its original broad borders.

Geography On the north-east corner of High Street and Court Street the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, now the U.S. National Geodetic Survey, has placed a small medallion into a granite block showing an elevation of 112.288 feet.

Dedham is made up of a number of neighborhoods: • In the geographical centre of town is Oakdale. It is roughly defined by East Street to the west, Cedar Street to the south and east, and Whiting Ave to the north. ◦ The houses in the area around Woodleigh Road, which was declared to be one of the best streets in Greater Boston, have many homes designed by Henry Bailey Alden, who also designed the Endicott Estate. ◦ The subdivision consisting of Morse Avenue, Fulton Street, and Edison Avenue, is named Whiting Park. • Riverdale is an island surrounded by the Charles River and Long Ditch. • Greenlodge runs along the axis of Greenlodge Street and the area between Greenlodge Street and East Street. • The Manor comprises the neighborhood south of Sprague Street. • East Dedham falls between Mother Brook and the Boston line. • Precinct One, or Upper Dedham, is in the north-west corner of the town, between High Street and Common Street and the Westwood and Needham lines. ◦ Job's Island, named for Job Richard, is now a peninsula at 91 Common Street. • Ashcroft is the neighborhood between Cedar Street and Sprague Street. It includes Paul Park and the Capen School. ◦ The undeveloped strip of land between Beech Street and Turner Street is known as Ogden's Woods. • Fairbanks is the neighborhood between East Street and Wigwam Pond.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 10.6 square miles (27 km²), of which 10.4 square miles (27 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) (1.79%) is water.

Economy Dedham has been featured on both television and film screens. • William Desmond Taylor's 1919 silent film Anne of Green Gables was filmed in Dedham. It was the favorite role of star Mary Miles Minter, but no copies of the film are known to have survived. The film also starred Paul Kelly. • The 1973 film The Friends of Eddie Coyle was filmed in Dedham and starred Robert Mitchum, Peter Boyle, and Alex Rocco. • In the 1980s, the Endicott Estate was featured in an episode of Spenser: For Hire. • The 1982 film Pieces was filmed mainly in Madrid, but also included the same Dedham Square robbed in 'Eddie Coyle'. • The Endicott Estate was also featured in the 2000 film The Perfect Storm. • The award-winning 2000 film State and Main was filmed in Dedham, and Alec Baldwin's character slept in the Endicott Estate. • In a 2004 episode of The Practice, viewers learned that Alan Shore grew up in the town, and numerous references to the Sacco and Vanzetti trial were also made. Images of Dedham Square, the Dedham Historical Society building and the courthouses were shot on location. In addition, "extremely rare" interior and exterior photos of the courthouses from the turn of the 20th century were shown. • The 2010 thriller Shutter Island was partially filmed in Dedham. • The 2014 film The Judge was filmed partly in Dedham Square. • Kathryn Bigelow's 2017 film, Detroit, was filmed inside the Dedham District Court. • The film I Care a Lot was filmed at the Norfolk County Courthouse and Norfolk County Registry of Deeds.

Education: University • Queen of Apostles Seminary, a former Catholic minor seminary run by the Society of African Missions, closed in the late 1960s • Northeastern University Dedham Campus, a satellite campus located in the Queen of Apostles Seminary's former building.

Points of interest • Organizations ◦ Dedham Historical Society and Museum; ◦ Dedham Public Library; • Schools ◦ Dedham Country Day School ◦ Noble & Greenough School ◦ Ursuline Academy and Convent ◦ Dedham High School; • Businesses ◦ Dedham Health and Athletic Complex ◦ Legacy Place, outdoor shopping center. ◦ Moseley's on the Charles, the oldest continuous-running ballroom in the country; • Areas ◦ Dedham Village Historic District ◦ Mother Brook (first man-made waterway in the United States); • Buildings ◦ 19 Court Street, a building with several uses over several centuries ◦ 369 Washington Street, the Knights of Columbus building ◦ 601-603 High Street, a commercial building in Dedham Square ◦ East Dedham Firehouse, possibly the oldest wood framed firehouse in use in the United States. Originally built in 1855, it was designed with stables in the basement for the horses that carried the apparatus. ◦ Ames Schoolhouse, schoolhouse built in 1897, now the Dedham town hall and senior center ◦ Endicott Estate ◦ Fairbanks House ◦ MIT Endicott House ◦ Norfolk County Correctional Center, situated in the median of Route 128. ◦ Old Norfolk County Jail; • Cemeteries ◦ Baby Cemetery ◦ Brookdale Cemetery ◦ Fairview Cemetery ◦ Old Village Cemetery ◦ Boston United Hand in Hand Cemetery is located on Lower East Street straddling the West Roxbury line. Dating back to 1875, the original plot was full by 1896 but subsequently expanded a number of times. There are graves as recent as 1980 in the West Roxbury portion; the Dedham portion is still active. Chestnut Hill's Congregation Mishka Tefila currently owns the property.

Transport Commuter rail service from Boston's South Station is provided by the MBTA with stops at Endicott and Dedham Corporate Center on its Franklin Line. Also, MBTA bus routes 34 Dedham Square to Forest Hills serves Washington Street, Dedham Square, and the Dedham Mall, route 34E Walpole Center to Forest Hills serves Washington Street and Dedham Square, and route 35 Dedham Mall to Forest Hills serves Washington Street and the Dedham Mall.