Dec 20, 2025
Article written in 2013, excerpted from “This Old Town, Fleetwood 9” by Richard DeSorgher
Medfield has a long history of giving thanks and a long list of generous town citizens who want to give back to the community that has given them much. When the first thirteen settlers arrived in the new town of Medfield in 1651 after leaving Dedham, they made their way along Foundry Street and paused on top of the hill overlooking what would become their new homeland. They looked over the open meadows and gave thanks, believing that they were indeed God’s chosen people and this was indeed their promised land. They named the hill Mt. Nebo, after the spot in the Holy Land where Moses saw his promised land. The settlers gave thanks for all they had been given and started a history of helping one another. Each time a house, a barn, a meetinghouse or any other dwelling was to be built, all in town turned out to help in the building. These “barn raisings” became the norm for helping each other.
Medfield’s history is filled with examples of local residents giving of themselves. In 1675 some 60 persons in Medfield contributed to the start of the “new brick college; “Harvard. Education was important to these early Puritans. In December of 1774, when the port of Boston was shut down by the British in retaliation for the Boston Tea Party, the citizens of Medfield came forward to help those in Boston who were suffering. The contributions from Medfield were 132 pounds of pork, 402 pounds of cheese and 22 cartloads of wood.
In 1872, as Medfield was without a town hall to conduct its govermental business, George W. Chenery left in his will a sum of money to be given to the town for the building of a town hall. The total cost of $26,668 was paid for under the Chenery Trust and in 1872 Medfield opened its new town hall for the first time, on the site of today’s town hall. In 1916 Willard Harwood, who had married into the Baxter family, gave to the town of Medfield the land at the corner of Spring and Main Streets to be called Baxter Park, in honor of his wife. In 1917 the town accepted a gift from Granville Dailey, part owner of the hat factory, of a new library. The new memorial Public Library stands today as one of Medfield’s architectural gems and has provided the town with education, reading pleasure and library services for the past 96 years, thanks to the generosity of Granville Dailey.
Today numerous organizations and generous individuals continue to help those in need; from the Food Cupboard to the Medfield Home Committee, to the many school groups to the Angel Run and on and on and on. Two local residents stand out for their generosity and for giving back to their country and community; Frank Iafolla and Eric Pellegrini. Both served their country in the Unitd States Marine Corp. Eric continues to give back to the town helping to serve and protect as a member of the Medfield Police Department and Frank served the community as past commander of the American Legion, as a town official and as the individual responsible for making sure flags are placed every Memorial Day on the graves of all veterans buried in Vine Lake Cemetery. The two are also resposible for the continuation of the Toys for Tots program, which has become a Medfield tradition during the holiday season.
The United States Marine Corps Toys for Tots holiday collection drive began in 1947 and this is the 65th hear that this program as brought joy to children in need in the community. Nationwide, more than 400 million toys have been donated over the past six-plus decades.