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Journey back in time to Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

(Harding)

Visit Medfield, Massachusetts, USA. Discover its history. Learn about the people who lived there through stories, old newspaper articles, pictures, postcards and ancestry.

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Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Old Peak House, Built 1760

Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, USA

Medfield includes: Harding


The area was settled in 1791. The town of Homer was established when Onondaga County was formed in 1794. Cortland County was subsequently formed from Onondaga County.

In 1835, the village of Homer set itself off from the town by incorporation.

Half the town (32 houses, two mills, many barns and other buildings) was destroyed by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675. One house, known as the Peak House, was burnt in the war but was rebuilt shortly thereafter near downtown Medfield.

The town's boundaries originally extended into present-day Medway and Millis. In 1713 the town was divided, with the section west of the Charles River becoming the new town of Medway.

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There is MUCH more to discover about Medfield, Massachusetts, USA. Read on!

Medfield Nostalgia: Vintage Photos, Ads, and Postcards

Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Old Peak House, Built 1760
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Old Peak House, Built 1760
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - E. V. Mitchell Co's Hat Factory
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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E. V. Mitchell Co's Hat Factory

"... At its height, the E.V. Mitchell Hat Factory was the second largest straw and felt hat factory in the country, employing over 1,000 workers─more than the population of the town itself. Workers came from as far away as Maine and Canada to work at the North Street plant." medfieldhistoricalsociety.org
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Centre Square
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Centre Square
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Phillips Street
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Phillips Street
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Baptist Church
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Baptist Church
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Harding Post Office
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Harding Post Office
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Soldiers' Monument
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Soldiers' Monument
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Medfield Inn
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Medfield Inn
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Medfield State Hospital, Doctor's Cottage & Nurses' Home
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Medfield State Hospital, Doctor's Cottage & Nurses' Home
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Town Hall
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Town Hall
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA - Church of the Advent, 1941
Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Church of the Advent, 1941

Discover Medfield: History, News, Travel, and Stories

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1649 - Medfield is settled
In November of 1649, Dedham held a town meeting which approved the laying out of an area for
a new town (Medfield). This was accomplished in the early spring of 1650 and corresponds very nearly
with the boundaries of the present town. The thirteen original settlers paid fifty pounds to the
inhabitants of Dedham in compensation for the land.

town.medfield.net

Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
1651 - Medfield is incorporated
Ralph Wheelock, a graduate of Cambridge University, considered the founder of Medfield,
proceeded with Thomas Wright and Robert Hinsdale to the new settlement, which was finally
incorporated as the 43rd town in Massachusetts on June 2, 1651. Eighteen new men were
accepted as townsmen and grants of land made to them in 1651.

town.medfield.net
Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates
During the King Philip War in 1675, Medfield became the frontier town when Mendon was abandoned.
In February of 1676 approximately 1,000 Indians, under the command of Monaco, burned 32 houses, two mills, and many barns. Eight people were killed, including Timothy Dwight, the original owner of the Dwight Derby House on Frairy Street. Two streets serve as reminder of those fateful days- Philip and Metacomet (Philip's real Indian name). After King Philip was killed in August of 1676, the indomitable settlers rebuilt and repaired the damage to their farms and mills, with monetary assistance from the provincial legislature.
town.medfield.net
In 1800 the population of the town of Medfield was 745.
The manufacture of straw bonnets first commenced that same year and the manufacture of ladies' hats was the principal industry of the town until 1954. Mansions for the owners were built near the factory on North Street and the seasonal workers lived in boarding houses throughout the town. During the busy season as many as 1,000 were employed at the straw hat shop.

town.medfield.net
In 1806 the Hartford and Dedham Turnpike was established and its stage coaches stopped at Clark's Tavern, next door to the Peak House.
The stage route through Medfield was known as
the Middle Post Road, but the Upper Post Road through Sudbury was preferred by travelers because it provided better taverns. For a period after the discontinuance of the stage coaches, the town had no public transportation until the first passenger train of the New York and Boston Railroad came to town.
town.medfield.net
1839 - Medfield
Medfield, Massachusetts
Norfolk county. This town is watered by Charles and Stop rivers. It is 17 miles S.S.W. from Boston and 8 S. by W. from Dedham.

During the year ending April 1, 1837, there were manufactured at Medfield, 124,000 straw bonnets, the value of which was $135,000. There are also manufactures of boots, shoes, leather, cutlery, and brushes. Medfield was taken from Dedham, in 1651.

During king Philip's war, in 1675, the town was burnt, and many of the inhabitants murdered by the Narragansets. Philip rode on an elegant horse, and directed the massacre. Population, 1837, 899.
The New England Gazetteer containing descriptions of all the states, counties and towns in New England: also descriptions of the principal mountains, rivers lakes, capes, bays, harbors, islands and fashionable resorts within that territory. By John Hayward, author of the Columbian Traveller, Religious Creeds, &c. &c. Boston: John Hayward. Boyd & White, Concord, N.H. 1839
1845 - MEDFIELD. [Pop. 883. Inc. 1650.]
Medfield was originally a part of Dedham, and is supposed to have
been named from rich meadows on the banks of the Charles and its branches.

The greater part of the town was burnt by the Indians under King
Philip, in 1776. One of the houses that escaped is still standing,
and considered a curiosity.

Agriculture is the principal business, but many straw bonnets are made here.

Distance from Dedham, 8 miles ; from Boston, 17.
An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
Get it HERE!
1848 - Medfield
This is the forty third town in Massachusetts that secured an act of incorporation. It was originally a part of Dedham, and was incorporated as a town in 1650. A church was organized here in 1651, consisting of eight members; Rev. John Wilson, Jr. was installed pastor the same year. Mr. Wilson was born in England, and graduated in the first class in Harvard college. He united in himself the offices of a preacher, physician, and school-master, at the same time. He continued in the pastoral office more than forty years, and died in 1691. After a period of nearly six years, in which thirty two candidates were employed, Joseph Baxter was settled, and sustained the pastoral office more than 48 years. Mr. Baxter commenced his ministerial labors at the age of eighteen, and in consequence of his youth his settlement was delayed almost three years. “He was selected for a missionary during his ministry by Governor Shute. When his excellency had a conference with the Indians at Georgetown, in... Read MORE...

By 1870 Medfield became an important rail junction and freight depot to the Framingham - Mansfield branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad.
At the end of the century, steam and electric railways terminated in front of the Town House.
town.medfield.net
1890 Medfield Massachusetts
Medfield is a beautiful old town in the western part of Norfolk County, about twenty miles southwest of Boston. Dover bounds it on the north, the same and Walpole on the east, the latter and Norfolk on the south, and Millis on the west. The assessed area is 8,222 acres,— of which 2,174 acres are forests, composed chiefly of maple and chestnut.

Noon Hill and three smaller hills in the southwest mark the angles of a rhomb. Almost the entire northwest corner, from Castle Hill in the north to Mount Nebo in the east, is occupied by high, rocky woods. Charles River forms the entire western line of the town; receiving, as affluents, a large brook from the northeast, and Stop River, coming up nearly to the centre from Norfolk. Vine Brook runs through the centre, where it turns two or three small mills. Through the eastern section flows Tubwreck Brook from Great Spring in Dover, ending in two ponds on the east of Mount Nebo; and the outlet of these— Mill Brook—flows southerly to Neponset... Read MORE...

1895 - Medfield
Med'field, a post-village in Medfield township, Nor folk co., Mass., on the Boston, Clinton & Fitchburg Railroad and the Boston, Hartford & Erie Railroad, 18 miles S.W. of Boston. It has 3 churches, and manufactures of carriages and straw goods. The township is drained by the Charles River. Pop. of the township, 1163
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
1906
Medfield, a post-village in Medfield township (town), Norfolk co., Mass., on the New York, New Haven and Hartford R., 18 miles SW. of Boston. It has manufactures of straw goods. The town is drained by the Charles River. Pop. in 1900, 2926.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906
Here's a list of some of the best places to go and things to do in and around Medfield:
1. Rocky Woods Reservation:
If you love the outdoors, Rocky Woods Reservation is a must-visit. It offers beautiful hiking trails, scenic views, and a peaceful escape into nature. Perfect for a day of hiking or a relaxing picnic.

2. Hinkley Pond and Noon Hill:
Take a stroll around Hinkley Pond or venture up Noon Hill for more hiking opportunities. The trails are well-maintained, and the pond provides a serene setting for bird watching or a quiet afternoon by the water.

3. Dale Street Bistro:
For a delightful dining experience, head to Dale Street Bistro. It's a cozy spot with a diverse menu, offering everything from delicious breakfast options to savory dinner choices. The atmosphere is friendly, and the service is excellent.

4. Choate Park:
Choate Park is a great spot for families. It has playgrounds for kids, sports facilities, and a lovely pond. It's an ideal place for a family picnic or a leisurely afternoon with friends.

5. Belkin Family Lookout Farm:
If you're in ... Read MORE...

Discover MY Roots: Medfield Ancestry

Ancestors Who Were Born or Died in Medfield, Massachusetts, USA

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Updated: 9/28/2023 11:39:40 AM