Feb 1, 2026 For many long-time residents of Medfield, Byron Reed was a familiar roadside sight around town, seated at his easel, painting a local house or landscape while smoking his trademark pipe. And for newer residents, today they can gain an appreciation for Byron’s work through his rendition of the town seal, or the […]
The Legacy of a Roadside Artist Read More »
Feb 1, 2025 For long-time Medfield residents who came of age during the 40-year span of the Rocky Woods skating program, the sadness that resulted from its closure in the winter of 1982-83 still reverberates around town – especially given the recent stretch of freezing weather that prompted a posting of memories on social media.
Cold Weather Revives Rocky Woods Memories Read More »
Jul 31, 2023 Once cosmopolitans who thought themselves sophisticated, might have asked, “Medfield? Where’s that? What’s that?” And many of the young people living in Medfield were chagrined by the frequent snide remarks about Medfield being Deadfield or Mudfield. Times change. Gradually the transplanted city people came to recognize a bustling community after driving down
There Was Once a Place Called Lord’s Read More »
January 6, 2022 Thanks to Claire Shaw for her recent snippet about our family’s long-standing livery service. The snippet prompted the Historical Society’s David Temple to contact me about writing a deeper dive into the story of Newell’s Livery. How many small-town taxi companies, do you suppose, have ever been featured on national television?
From Hooves to Wheels: The Odyssey of a Family Business 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 »
May 1, 2021 Farmers from Dedham first settled Medfield in 1949, only 29 years after the Mayflower landed. The colony had grown rapidly through immigration and reproduction after 1630, and in William S. Tilden’s History of Medfield, the population was reported as 18,000 in 1643. The influx forced settlers to look west for grazing land
Coyotes in Medfield: If You Can’t Beat Them… Then Feed Them? Read More »