May 30, 2020 The Coronavirus pandemic is far from the only deadly phenomenon that the town of Medfield has had to deal with throughout the years. Many longtime residents remember Hurricane Carol that hit New England back in the late summer of 1954, some 16 years after the sneak attack Hurricane of 1938 (Category 5!) […]
Aftermath: Memories of the Way Things Came to Be Read More »
May 30, 2020 Linda Morse, formerly of Medfield, teaches history at the Foxboro Regional Charter School. This history of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, focusing on its impact in Medfield and Millis, will be serialized in The Portal. Her complete article is being published in the New England Journal of History. There are striking parallels
The Influenza Pandemic of 1918 in Medfield and Millis – Part I Read More »
Mar 31, 2020 “What’s the buzz, tell me what’s happening?” It feels as if these lines from the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, apply to the deadly corona virus. We don’t know the origin of this virus. Some have suggested a zoonic process, where the virus may have jumped from an animal to human. Did it
Unlikely Heroes in a Strange Land: How Medfield is Fast Tracking the Coronavirus Read More »
Feb 24, 2020 Fast Times at Medfield High School – Part II In 1963 at Medfield High School two distinctive groups of teens showed their separate ideas of our culture as related to education, music, fashion, and legacy – the college-bound Collegiates versus the blue-collar trade-bound Greasers. Some of the culture was shaped by rebellious
Midcentury Medfield Memories: The Collegiates vs. The Greasers II Read More »
Feb 24, 2020 Town Historian Richard DeSorgher addressed a packed house Feb. 3 as he explained the causes and events of the deadliest war in New England and Medfield history. The core issues were land disputes resulting in loss of native lands due to what the natives saw as the colonists’ land theft, the population
DeSorgher Spoke to Packed House on King Philip’s Attack Read More »
Jan 20, 2020 Fast Times at Medfield High School – Part I In 1963 at Medfield High School two distinctive groups of teens showed their separate ideas of our culture as related to education, music, fashion, and legacy – the college-bound Collegiates versus the blue-collar trade-bound Greasers. A somewhat similar split between the Mods and
Midcentury Medfield Memories: The Collegiates vs. The Greasers I Read More »
Jan 19, 2020 With 20-20 hindsight, these plans from the 1960s seem bizarre… “Urban Renewal” for Medfield? In 1964, when Medfield’s population was around 5,000, a new master plan was developed to prepare for future growth. At that time, urban renewal* in blighted areas was controversial but still considered practical and viable by American city
Revisiting Medfield’s 1960s Master Plans Read More »
Oct 28, 2019 In the season of Veterans Day, in addition to Ray Lambert, it’s appropriate to pay respect to Medfield men who went to war and paid the ultimate price. There are 12 such men killed in the 20th century who are honored with white on blue plaques in the neighborhoods where they lived.
Remembering Medfield’s Veterans Read More »
Sep 27, 2019 A direct descendant of Medfield founder Ralph Wheelock – and an activist in all things Wheelock – Ted Wheelock of Pittsburg, California, stopped in at the historical society booth at Medfield Day, September 14. Ted made a generous donation to the society and to the Vine Lake Preservation Trust. About the Wheelocks
Ted Wheelock, Medfield Day Visitor Read More »
Sep 1, 2019 Barbara Leighton of Robert Sproul Road died on July 11, 2019 in Medfield, where she had spent almost her entire 100-year life. She was the daughter of Newell and Myra (Spofford) Leighton and the sister of the late Harry Leighton. Barbara attended Medfield Public Schools; she graduated with the Medfield High School
An Appreciation of Barbara Leighton, Medfield’s Unofficial Historian Read More »