May 1, 2022 Listed on the National Register of Historic Places* in 1976, First Parish Church on North Street is of course a familiar Medfield landmark. It is the third building erected on the site by colonists who settled on what was the ancestral land of the Wampanoags. The first was put up […]
Common Practice in 1839; Seems Quaint in 2022 Read More »
Apr 1, 2022 It might be hard for some people to imagine, with all the attention on social media, that going fishing in the waters of Medfield is still a fun adventure for the young and the young at heart. So, for a while, forget about the pandemic and let your mind float downstream! Fishing
Gone Fishing, Like You, Like Me Read More »
Mar 1, 2022 March is National Women’s History Month—a time when we recognize the contributions and accomplishments of women through the ages. We thought it only fitting that we should recognize some of Medfield’s extraordinary women. Hannah Adams (1755-1831) is undoubtedly Medfield’s most famous woman. An early American historian and pioneer in the field
Medfield’s Extraordinary Women Read More »
Mar 1, 2022 Rail trails were the subject at the Feb. 7 historical society Zoom presentation by noted expert Craig Della Penna, with about 30 people participating. Christian Donner, who has been active in Medfield’s rail trail development from the beginning, summed up Medfield’s rail trail project in this article. In the late nineteenth century,
Progress on Medfield’s Rail Trail Read More »
Mar 1, 2022 Lowell Mason was Medfield’s most famous and accomplished native son, and it’s somehow fitting that his piano is the biggest artifact in the historical society’s collection. Lowell Mason (1792-1872) was born in Medfield. He is known as the father of public school music education in the United States, and he wrote upwards
The Largest Artifact in Our Collection — Lowell Mason’s Piano Read More »
Feb 1, 2022 Continuing from last month, here’s some nostalgia for some of the great fads from the 1950s and 60s. Clothes, hairstyles, toys, and television shows all have their fifteen minutes of fame. The faddish 1960s turned out to be very productive years for the clothing and fashion industry. At Medfield High School
Celebrating and Remembering Some of the Fads from 1950s and 60s — Part II Read More »
Feb 1, 2022 Medfield was a center for hat making for over a century, until June 8, 1956. It reached a peak under the ownership of “Col.” Edwin V. Mitchell, who came on the scene about 1877 and retired in 1910. At one point Mitchell’s was the second-largest straw hat factory in the United
Medfield’s Hat Factory in the 20th Century Read More »
January 6, 2022 In 1999 a newly prepared, 130-page Medfield Historic Preservation Plan cited Vine Lake Cemetery as a major but somewhat neglected historic asset in town. In 2002, David Temple, chair of the Medfield Historical Commission, successfully applied to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for a survey and planning grant to hire a consultant
Thanks and Rest in Peace Vine Lake Preservation Trust Read More »
Oct 1, 2021 The only times most of us think about water in Medfield is either (a) when its use is restricted or, occasionally, (b) when it looks or tastes funny coming out of the tap. The rest of the time, it’s just there – thank goodness. Medfield is part of both the Charles River
Our Drinking Water Here in Medfield Read More »
Oct 1, 2021 Depending on whether you are looking back or looking ahead, 50 years can seem like yesterday or an eternity. Monday evening, members of the Medfield Historical Society looked back to yesterday through the eyes of Daniels Hamant, a Medfield resident now a resident of Dover, and learned what life was
Growing Up in Medfield in the 1920s and 1930s Read More »