Broad Oak also known as Broad Oaks, was an estate in Dedham, Massachusetts owned by Edward Richards and his family, and then later Ebenezer Burgess and his descendants. Today the name lives on as part of the Broad Oak Farm which is located on part of the original estate. [1]
Though Dedham was intended to be a Utopian commune, and there was little disparity in wealth, Richards went by the title of "Gent" and, unlike others, aspired to a manor. [2] He received large tracts of land, second only to the minister, John Allin. [2] One such tract of land was originally owned by a Mr. Cook, who was probably from Watertown. [2] After Cook's death, the land was sold by his estate to Anthony Fisher in 1652. [3] The next year, Fisher sold it to Henry Phillips. [4] This land eventually became Broad Oak.
Richards purchased the property sometime between 1653 and 1670 and, while no record exists recording the transfer, it is suspected it was closer to 1670. [4] Early records of the town indicate that Richards was interested in building a "manor house" on his extensive land holdings. [5] The Broad Oak estate and house were located northwest of the Dedham village, on a bend in the Charles River, off West Street near the present day border of Needham. [6] [4] [1] [lower-alpha 1]
Edward Richards left the property to his son, Nathaniel, and Nathaniel left it to his son, Edward. [8] [9] It then passed down through generations of the Richards family, to Nathaniel, James, Ebenezer, and finally to Deacon Jonathan Richards. [8] Jonathan sold it to his friend and minister, Rev. Ebenezer Burgess of the Allin Congregational Church. [8] [7] [10] The land was surveyed in 1831 and a deed drawn up then, but it was not recorded until 1838. [6] It is presumed that Jonathan Richards, a widower, may have lived on the land for a time after he sold it to Burgess. [6] Burgess tore down the Richards home [11] and built a new mansion on the lot in 1839. [6] [12] Burgess operated it as an "extensive cattle farm." [1]
When and horse and buggy were stolen from the estate in 1904, the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves attempted to capture the criminal. [13] As of 1942, some of the original Richards estate was still in the hands of Richards family. The Burgess family remained at Broad Oak at least until the 1940s when State Representative John K. Burgess lived there. [14] [6] [15]
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635–1699, begins with the first settlers' arrival in 1635 and runs to the end of the 17th century. The settlers, who built their village on land the native people called Tiot, incorporated the plantation in 1636. They sought to build a community in which all would live out Christian love in their daily lives, and for a time did, but the Utopian impulse did not last. The system of government they devised was both "a peculiar oligarchy" and a "a most peculiar democracy." Most freemen could participate in Town Meeting, though they soon established a Board of Selectmen. Power and initiative ebbed and flowed between the two bodies.
Ebenezer Battelle (1754–1815) was an American Revolutionary War veteran, a bookseller in Boston, Massachusetts, and a settler of Marietta, Ohio, in the late 18th century.
Allin Congregational Church is a historic United Church of Christ church in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was built in 1818 by conservative breakaway members of Dedham's First Church and Parish in the Greek Revival style.
Henry Phillips was a wealthy businessman and politician from Boston and Dedham, Massachusetts. Phillips was described as "tender and brokenhearted."
Samuel Dexter was a minister from Dedham, Massachusetts. He ministered there from May 1724 to 1755.
Joseph Belcher was a minister at the First Church in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Ebenezer Fisher represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court. The Fisher School, now in Westwood, Massachusetts, was named in his honor. He served as selectman in 1785. He voted against the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike as a member of the legislature in 1802. Fisher Ames was a driver for the road, and his brother Nathaniel believed his no vote made him a "traitor" motivated by "an ancient prejudice against the Old Parish," i.e. modern day Dedham.
Jason Haven was the longest serving minister of the First Church and Parish in Dedham.
John Hunting was Ruling Elder of the First Church and Parish in Dedham.
John Dwight was one of the first settlers of Dedham, Massachusetts and progenitor of the Dwight family.
Nathan Aldis was an early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts who served on that town's Board of Selectmen in 1641, 1642, and 1644. He served in a variety of other positions in the town and served as a deacon at First Church and Parish in Dedham. He signed the Dedham Covenant.
Lieutenant Anthony Fisher represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court. He was also a selectman for three years.
Edward Richards was an early settler of and nine term selectman in Dedham, Massachusetts.
John K. Burgess was a selectmen and state representative from Dedham, Massachusetts. He lived in the Broad Oak estate. At the time of his death in 1941, he was 78 years old and a retired farmer and engineer.
Lt. Daniel Pond was a prominent early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts.
Nathaniel Whiting was an early settler of Dedham, Massachusetts. He owned several mills on Mother Brook and is said to have dug the canal, the first man-made water way in America.
Major Abijah Draper was a military officer under George Washington and prominent resident of Dedham, Massachusetts.
St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal Church in Dedham, Massachusetts
Jeremiah Shuttleworth was a merchant and postmaster from Dedham, Massachusetts.
Ebenezer Burgess was the minister of the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham, Massachusetts.
