The Massachusetts Bay Colony was formed in 1628, with original settlements situated around the two natural harbors near present-day Salem and Boston, north of the previously established Plymouth Colony. The mostly Puritan colonists had good relationships with the local Native Americans, but by 1636, a series of incidents increased tensions between the groups and led to rumors that war might be imminent. The Massachusetts General Court feared that the few rural towns were too small and close together to offer much protection to the more populated coastal communities and set about to establish more inland towns.
The following year, in March of 1636, the court ordered that land be mapped out for about 3.5 square miles of land for a new town on the northeast side of the Charles River. That land included present-day Newton. Twelve men then petitioned the General Court for a tract of land south of the Charles River.
Neither the settlers nor the General Court knew exactly how much land they were requesting, or granting. The petition asked for all the land on the south side of the Charles River, which had never been explored by colonial settlers beyond that point. Instead, the colony gave them over “two hundred square miles of virgin wilderness, complete with lakes, hills, forests, meadows, Indians, and a seemingly endless supply of rocks and wolves.” Early 1630s maps show that the settlers thought the end of the Charles River was somewhere near modern-day Dedham, but the grant stretched to the Rhode Island and Plymouth Colony borders.
The first settlers were:
Edward Allyne, Abraham Shaw, Samuel Morse, Phileman Dalton, Ezekiel Holliman, John Kingsbury, John Dwite, John Cooledge, Richard Ewed, John Howard, Lambert Genere, Nicholas Phillips, Ralph Shepard, John Gay, Thomas Bartleet, Francis Austin, John Rogers, Joseph Shaw, William Bearstowe
In July, 1637, John Allin and Eleazer Lusher, and ten other persons “gave a more decided character to the whole company”. The following is the list of freemen who had been admitted into Dedham previous to 1647.
Mr. John Allin, Edward Kempe, Mr. Timothy Dalton, John Leuson, Mr. Thomas Carter, John Dwight, Mr. Ralph Wheelock, Henry Smith, Mr. John Hunting, John Rogers, Mr. Pruden, John Shawe, Mr. Henry Phillips, Nathan Aldis, deac. F. Chickering, deac., Daniel Fisher, Abraham Shaw, Michael Metcalf, Edward Allyne, John Frayre, Eleazer Lusher, Robert Hinsdale, John Bullard, Joshua Fisher, Ferdinando Adams, Thomas Wight, Samuel Morse, Nicholas Phillips, John Morse, John Page, Michael Powell, Joseph Kingsbury, Nathaniel Colborne, Timothy Dwight, Peter Woodward, John Baker, Nathaniel Whiting, Anthony Fisher, Andrew Dewing, George Barber, Robert Onion, Robert Feashe, John Gay, Lambert Genery, Samuel Guile, John Ellis, Daniel Morse, Thomas Alcoke, John Batchellor, Joseph Morse.
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 had been born.
Mills
In January 1653, Dedham offered land to Robert Crossman, urging him to construct a mill on the Charles River, the original location intended by Abraham Shaw. Crossman declined the offer. Nathaniel Whiting, who owned the town’s sole mill, was displeased by the prospect of competition and offered to sell his mill back to the Town for 250 pounds. However, Whiting’s mill’s performance declined, prompting the town to seek alternatives.
Given permission by the Town, Daniel Pond, and Ezra Morse (grandson of original Dedham settled Samuel Morse) were authorized to build a new corn mill on the Mother Brook above Whiting’s, with the condition that it be completed by June 24, 1665. Whiting, resistant to the competition for water and customers, launched a campaign of opposition against the new mill. Town records reveal extended efforts to resolve the matter, with an agreement eventually reached after a meeting with the Selectmen. Both parties pledged to coexist peacefully and not interfere with each other’s business. Two years later, Morse was instructed not to impede water flow to the extent that it hindered milling for Whiting.
The Town, eager to avoid further problems, established regulations to prevent water-related conflicts, specifying that during droughts or water shortages, the new mill should not obstruct the natural flow of water from the Charles River. Simultaneously, the owners of the old mill were prohibited from raising water levels in their pond to a point that would adversely affect the new mill. Whiting was also instructed to repair dam leaks before raising concerns about water availability.
But disputes persisted, leading to a lawsuit. Finally, in 1678, Dedham Town Meeting decided not to entertain further complaints from Whiting.
In 1697 Ezra Morse and Josiah Fisher were granted permission to use 14 acres of the Purgatory Swamp and were subsequently the first known settlers to live in what is now Norwood. In 1699, the Morse dam at present-day Maverick Street in Dedham was removed, and Morse was given 40 acres of land near the Neponset River at Tiot in compensation. Subsequently, Morse established a new mill in the South part of Tiot adjacent to a sawmill that commenced operations in 1644. Morse’s mill was located roughly in the area near present-day Morse Street, between Pleasant and Washington Streets. It was likely close to the rear of the Norwood Space Center and the Certainteed plant on Water St near the East Walpole line.
Ezra Morse built the first house in Norwood in 1678, a typical saltbox-style dwelling for the time, on the nearby hill that became known as Morse Hill. In 1868, 4 years before Norwood became a town, his descendant George H. Morse tore Ezra’s house down and built a new house on the same property in roughly the same location. The George H. Morse House still stands at 1285 Washington St, overlooking South Norwood.
The population of South Dedham grew and by 1717, the settlers were tired of traveling into Dedham Village to attend services at the Church of Christ. In 1720, they petitioned for the first time to start their own Parish in South Dedham. The loss of so many parishioners would have greatly reduced the tax base for the Church, and Dedham steadfastly refused several times. To solve the problem, parishioners started holding services in private homes in South Dedham starting in 1722. Dedham finally agreed to the request in 1728 and on October 18, 1730 the General Court incorporated the area as the South Parish of Dedham.
West Dedham (now Westwood) could not agree with South Dedham as to the location of a new meetinghouse, so West Dedham returned to the Dedham Christ Church. In 1736 South Dedham erected its first meetinghouse near the present-day Morrill Memorial Library. Chosen as the pastorate of the new Congregational Church was Reverend Thomas Balch of Salem, a Harvard graduate. The town records state “he was deservedly highly esteemed for he was a man of talents and intellectual attainments. He was orthodox and highly regarded as a preacher.” The Balch school in South Norwood is named in his memory.
Two years later, in 1738, South Dedham requested a local schoolhouse and in 1740 built the first school near the site of the present-day Callahan school. The school was far from perfect. Teachers had to travel from Dedham each day, sessions were short and only boys were allowed at school, but it was a start. In 1754 South Dedham hired their first schoolmaster and 4 years later girls were allowed to attend the school. This school was closed in 1788.
South Dedham now had a meetinghouse and a school, and as it continued to grow and prosper, it needed a place to lay its citizens to rest. Old Parish Cemetery was opened in 1741. This served as South Dedham’s only burial ground until 1880 when Highland Cemetery was created.
South Dedham still had no commercial center, so residents had to travel the 5 miles into Dedham village for dry goods, materials or other supplies. They also continued to pay taxes to Dedham even though they were now establishing their services locally and not benefiting from improvements in the village. Resentment was building.
Two events in 1870 and 1871 finally led to the break between Dedham and South Dedham.
South Dedham had replaced the original schoolhouse with two more. Schoolhouse Number 6 was located near present Lenox and Cross street. Schoolhouse Number 7, also known as the “Little Red Brick Schoolhouse”, stood on the corner of Pleasant and Sumner streets until 2009 when it was moved and meticulously rebuilt on the grounds of the George H Morse house. But South Dedham still didn’t have a High School. In 1870, Frank O. Winslow (of the Winslow Brothers tannery) petitioned Dedham to allow a High School to be built in South Dedham. When the vote failed to pass, talk of secession from Dedham began.
Norwood also had two fire companies- Washington Number 7 near present-day St Catherine’s Hall and America Number 10 near present-day Walnut Ave and Washington St. Very low-tech operations, their tools were mainly tubs of water with bucket brigades and later hand pumps carried via a horse carriage. More than just an emergency service, the firehouses served as social halls, and the men were a proud band of brothers. Washington Number 7 had a tradition of ringing the firehouse bell on the Fourth of July to celebrate the holiday. Dedham Selectmen voted to ban the bell ringing in 1871, and fire Company steward George E. Metcalf defiantly rang the bell anyway.
For many South Dedham residents, these two events were enough to convince them to break away from Dedham. On December 22, 1871 a meeting was called in Village Hall and a committee was selected to petition the formation of a new town, made up of South Dedham and small portion of Walpole. Eighty percent of the village signed the petition.
On February 10th, 1872, the following Bill was presented to the State Senate (you can click here for a PDF or scroll below)
The Bill was approved by the General Court and signed by Massachusetts Governor William B. Washburn on February 23, 1872, 151 years ago.