Dedham

History

Settled in 1635 by people from Roxbury and Watertown, Dedham was incorporated in 1636. It became the county seat of Norfolk County when the county was formed from parts of Suffolk County on March 26, 1793. When the Town was originally incorporated, the residents wanted to name it "Contentment." The Massachusetts General Court overruled them and named the town after Dedham, Essex in England, where some of the original inhabitants were born. The boundaries of the town at the time stretched to the Rhode Island border. At the first public meeting on August 15, 1636, eighteen men signed the town covenant. They swore that they would "in the fear and reverence of our Almighty God, mutually and severally promise amongst ourselves and each to profess and practice one truth according to that most perfect rule, the foundation whereof is ever lasting love." They also agreed that "we shall by all means labor to keep off from us all such as are contrary minded, and receive only such unto us as may be probably of one heart with us, [and such] as that we either know or may well and truly be informed to walk in a peaceable conversation with all meekness of spirit, [this] for the edification of each other in the knowledge and faith of the Lord Jesus…" The covenant also stipulated that if differences were to arise between townsmen, they would seek arbitration for resolution and each would pay his fair share for the common good. Dedham is home to the Fairbanks House, the oldest surviving timber-frame house in the United States, scientifically dated to 1637. On January 1, 1643, by unanimous vote, Dedham authorized the first taxpayer-funded public school, "the seed of American education." Its first schoolmaster, Rev. Ralph Wheelock, a Clare College graduate, was paid 20 pounds…

Geography

Dedham is located at (42.244609, −71.165531). is now a peninsula at 91 Common Street. **Highland Street, near Lowder Street, runs up Earwicker's Hill. * Ashcroft is the neighborhood between Cedar Street and Sprague Street. It includes Paul Park and the Capen School. **The undeveloped strip of land between Beech Street and Turner Street is known as Ogden's Woods. * Fairbanks is the neighborhood between East Street and Wigwam Pond.

Most-observed species

• Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  126,874
• Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  117,825
• Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  105,392
• Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  97,299
• Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758)

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  95,290
• Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766)

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  92,502
• Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810)

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  89,561
• Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766)

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  79,458

Largest nearby schools

• TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School
  Other · East Walpole · 2,940 students · 24.7:1 ratio
• Brookline High
  High · Brookline · 2,087 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Braintree High
  High · Braintree · 1,706 students · 15.4:1 ratio
• Needham High
  High · Needham · 1,645 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Quincy High
  High · Quincy · 1,495 students · 13:1 ratio
• North Quincy High
  High · Quincy · 1,476 students · 15.7:1 ratio
• Wellesley Sr High
  High · Wellesley · 1,412 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Sharon High
  High · Sharon · 1,143 students · 11.4:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2020-11-08
  10 km S of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts
• M 2.7 — 2018-02-15
  0 km SE of East Kingston, New Hampshire
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts