Dedham, Massachusetts, USA
1845 - DEDHAM. [Pop. 3,290. Inc. 1635.]
For some time the first settlers called this town Contentment. Its name was changed to Dedham in honor of the martyr, John Rogers,
who preached at Dedham in England, and was probably known to some of the first settlers here.
From Dedham have at various times been formed the towns of Medfield and Medway, Wrentham and Franklin, Needham, Bellingham, Walpole, and Dover.
Dedham is watered by the Neponset and Charles ; and, as early as 1639, the citizens dug the first canal in the State, now called Mother
Brook, to connect Charles and Neponset rivers, and furnish suitable
sites for mills.
The chief manufactures are cotton, woollen, and silk goods, paper, shoes, bonnets, and cards.
The Ancient Oak, older than the town, is a curiosity, as is also the
pedestal of William Pittas Pillar, at the corner of Court House
Square.
Fisher Ames, an accomplished orator and profound statesman, was
born in Dedham.
Dedham is the county town, where the courts are held and the
records kept.
Distance from Boston, 10 miles.
An Elementary Geography for Massachusetts Children by William Bentley Fowle and Asa Fitz, 1845
Get it HERE!
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