Feb 1, 2021
I’m excited to be writing my first article as a “newer” member of the community. My family and I moved to Medfield five years ago from Richmond, Virginia and have really enjoyed getting to experience all the wonderful things that make Medfield special – one of which is the rich history of the town and the surrounding communities.
We live at 1 Preservation Way, at the corner of Spring Street (Route 27), near the pond and the grist mill. To start our exploration of Medfield’s history, we began in our own backyard (literally) with the white statue of a lady staring intently down Route 27. She stands vigilant as cars zoom past the Kingsburg Grist Mill on their way into and out of town. The “Lady of Route 27,” as she has been known, has played an important role dating back to when Amos Clark Kingsbury lived in his family’s homestead on Spring Street next to St. Edward’s Catholic Church and across from Kingsbury Pond.
Amos Clark Kingsbury was born on October 13, 1897 to Allan Alonzo Kingsbury and Lillian “Lydia” Lord Kingsbury. He was the third of three children and grew up on his family’s 75-acre farm. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the United States Marines and served in almost all major U.S. combat missions in World War I. After returning home, he became very involved in the community including starting an art school and later opening an antique store in one of the barns that still stands on the property.
Legend goes that in 1950, Amos noticed a peculiar statue during his travels at a granite quarry in Addison, Maine. Granite quarrying was a major industry in Maine until the early 20th century when reinforced concrete and steel became the preferred building materials, so it would be no surprise, granite statues would be plentiful in the region.
One statue in particular, perched high above a quarry, caught his eye, and he exclaimed “It resembles my mother!” He negotiated its purchase and had it shipped back to Medfield to sit outside his antique store, where it still sits today.
Amos married Blanche Marcionette on June 25, 1955 but succumbed to cancer shortly after on December 15, 1955. Blanche kept up the homestead, including the antique store, until her death on March 15, 1987. Amos’s mother Lydia passed away a year after the statue arrived in Medfield in 1951.
While we don’t know for certain, one could assume she got a chance to see the unique statue that her son picked out for her and had placed so prominently on the property. Landmarks like these are an important reminder of the richness of the history of Medfield that lives on to this day.