Sep 1, 2024 Upwards of one million Americans have the surname “Clark,” making it the 20-somethingth most common name in this country, and it’s almost as common in England. Clark or Clarke is an occupational name, like Baker, Cook, Cooper, or Smith, and it’s derived from the Middle Ages, when a cleric was someone with […]
After 373 Years, the Clark Family is Still Here. What’s Your Story? Read More »
Sep 1, 2024 Another Medfield school year is now underway marking nearly 370 years since the first schoolhouse was built on North Street in 1655 – evidenced by a historical marker where the new 21 North restaurant is now located. And while much has changed with education over time, some aspects of it have stayed
Similarities of Medfield Education Over Time Read More »
Mar 1, 2024 “Enslaved Girl”“To her private life Only a few were privy.A life lost and found.” The next time you pass by or visit a CVS, think of Nanny. Her feet trod upon the Reverend Joseph Baxter’s land as she went about her work as his enslaved servant. Almost two centuries later the minister’s
Nanny “Baxter” of Medfield Read More »
Nov 1, 2023 Today we know the area around Scarborough, Maine, as a vacation retreat. In 1677 the area was the part of Massachusetts Bay Colony known as Black Point. In those years of the King Philip War, this was the easternmost settlement in the providence of Maine. The local natives, after years of peaceful
Benjamin Rockwood, Veteran Read More »
Feb 1, 2023 On the issue of slavery in America, one usually thinks right away about the Southern States, but as William Tilden reminds us in his “History of Medfield 1650-1886,” that in Medfield’s early history, “slavery was common with most wealthy citizens.” The earliest slaves in the then Massachusetts Bay Colony were Native Americans,
When Slavery Existed in Medfield Read More »
Jan 1, 2023 Longtime Medfield resident Tom Connors sat as a judge in three Norfolk Country district courts and then moved up to spend over 16 years in the Dedham Superior Court. At the November 7 meeting of the historical society, he spoke about little-known aspects of the evolution of our court system. Much of
The Curious, Convoluted Story of Norfolk County and Its Courts Read More »
July 24, 2021 As the Laurentide Ice Sheet gradually receded 15-30,000 years ago, in the American Midwest, the retreating glaciers easily ground up the soft limestone underneath, leaving the farmer-friendly soil of the Great Plains. But in New England, granite, rather than limestone, was underneath the ice sheets. So, when the ice melted, our forebear
Medfield Stone Walls — With a Surprise at the End Read More »
June 1, 2021 As the first town to break away from the Dedham grant, Medfield was founded in 1649 and incorporated in 1651 as the 43rd town in the then Massachusetts Bay Colony. Who were those first pioneers who moved westward into the wilderness to begin our town? A history of our town, state, and
The Plimptons of Medfield Read More »
April 1, 2021 Serendipity is a curious thing. While setting final plans to visit the Berkshires, I received an email telling me of “talk” on Facebook about one Israel Bissell, an American patriot who, like Paul Revere, was a post rider during the American Revolution, but performed a much more impressive, yet lesser known, ride
Discovering Medfield’s Connection to Hinsdale, Massachusetts Read More »
Sep 1, 2019 August 24, 1619 is a less-remembered date that lives in infamy. On that day, a ship landed near Jamestown, Virginia, with a cargo of the first 20 kidnapped Africans who survived the Middle Crossing and were brought America to be sold into slavery. On August 24, 2019, church bells rang for four
On a Grim 400-Year Anniversary, an Account of Slavery in Medfield Read More »