The history of Dedham, Massachusetts from 2000 to present includes several large commercial and residential developments, the Town's 375th anniversary, municipal building projects, and changes to the Charter.
Major developments in Dedham include the Jewish Rashi School, a $30 million building on the 162-acre campus of Hebrew SeniorLife's NewBridge on the Charles in the fall of 2010.[1] The 82,000-square-foot LEED-certified school opened in the fall of 2010 with 300 students in kindergarten through eighth grade and room to grow the population.[1] The first of the 700[1] residents of NewBridge on the Charles moved in on June 1, 2010.[2]
After Legacy Place, a shopping mall with 80 stores, restaurants, and a 15-screen movie theater opened, businesses in Dedham Square suffered.[3] Legacy Place opened in 2009, with the first movie being shown to the public on August 27, 2009.[4] The first film was Inglourious Basterds, and the first preview was for Shutter Island, a movie partially filmed in Dedham.[4]
In the early years of the century, the 103' water pipe that stood on Walnut Street across from Oakdale Avenue was torn down to make room for a new house.[5] At the time, it was the oldest steel water tank in the country, having stood since 1881.[5]
Municipal building projects
Town Hall and Senior Center
Town Meeting rejected a $40 million proposal in November 2014 to buy a 490,000 square feet (46,000m2) portion of the former Rust Craft Greeting Card building at 100 Rustcraft Road for use as a Town Hall, Senior Center, and Police Station.[6][7] The Town had already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in due diligence when Town Meeting rejected the plan.[7]
At the 2014 Annual Town Meeting it was voted instead to purchase the 33,000 square feet (3,100m2)[7]Ames Schoolhouse for $5.85 million and renovate it to be used as a Town Hall and Senior Center.[8] An additional $1 million was appropriated to relocate the tenants of the schoolhouse,[7] which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[9] Town Meeting Representatives and other supporters of a Senior Center, a building discussed and debated for more than 30 years,[7] "wooed and applauded loudly,"[10] and were dancing in the aisles after the article passed.[11]
The price to renovate the building ballooned from $10.6 million to $14.1 million after a more thorough inspection of the building was conducted.[12][lower-alpha 1] On June 19 and 20, 2020, most departments moved from the old town hall into the Ames Schoolhouse.[13]
Public safety building
After most of the Town's administrative offices move into the Ames Schoolhouse, the Police Department was expected to renovate the old Town Hall for their use at a cost of $9.5 million.[7] Plans changed, however, to knocking down the existing Town Hall and instead building a combined public safety building for both the police and fire departments.
On March 5, 2021, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place for the new building.[14] The new building at 26 Bryant Street was opened for the first time on March 12, 2023.[15] The public was invited to take tours following the ribbon cutting.[15] The Dedham Square Planning Committee voted to recommend the old police headquarters be demolished and a new town green be built on the site in December 2021.[15] A six-person working group was created to oversee the project in April 2022.[16]
William B. Gould statue
On November 9, 2020, the Town of Dedham renamed a 1.3 acre park as the William B. Gould Memorial Park.[17] The park was formally dedicated on September 23, 2021 before a crowd of more than 100.[18][19][20] The park on Mother Brook is about .5 miles from Gould's home on Milton Street.[19] A committee was established to erect a sculpture of him on the site by Memorial Day 2023, the 100th anniversary of Gould's death.[19][21][20] The names of four finalists, all artists of color, were announced at the dedication.[19]
On May 28, 2023, the statue was unveiled before a crowd of hundreds by Timothy, Alina, and William B. Gould VI, three of Gould's great-great-great-grandchildren.[22][23][24][25] There ceremony took place a few days after the 100th anniversary of Gould's death.[25] The statue portrays Gould as an older man, as he would have been known to the people of Dedham.[26] His hands are slightly enlarged and his posture is slightly stiff, demonstrating that he worked hard jobs his entire life.[27][26] It includes the coat he wore as Commander of the Carrol Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and a toolbox with symbolic tools he used in his life such as a compass, a trowel, and a pen.[26][25] A copy of his diary sits open on his lap.[26][25]
Town Green
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Town Green was held on May 16, 2024.[28] The site, located at the corner of Washington and High Streets, was formerly the site of Memorial Hall and the Dedham Police Station.
Government
Charter changes
In March 2012 the Board of Selectmen created a Charter Advisory Committee to review the Town's governing document and to recommend changes.[29] The committee consisted of Thomas R. Polito, Jr., Joseph Pascarella, Kevin Mawe, Jay Donahue, Brian Keaney, Cherylann Sheehan, and Camille Zahka,[30] and met more than 25 times before presenting their findings to the Selectmen in August 2013.[29] The Selectmen sent the recommendations on to Town Meeting, who presented them to Town Meeting. The Town Meeting approved all but one, calling for term limits. At the 2014 Town Election, voters approved five of the six amendments, with the only exception being an increase in the term of the Town Clerk from three to five years.[31]
In 2020 a new Charter Committee was appointed. It included Chairman Carmen Dello Iacono, Michelle Apuzzio, Gemma Martin, Andrew Haley, Lance Hartford, Michele Heffernan, and Tom Ryan.
Pandemic-era town meetings
Town Meeting was altered several times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the fall of 2020, Town Meeting was held over Zoom.[32] Due to technological glitches, power outages in some parts of town as a result of a storm, and running a meeting of nearly 300 people plus other officials, it did not finish until after midnight the next day.[32] A team of more than 20 people worked weekly since the previous August to iron out the issues related to the first ever virtual town meeting.[32]
In May 2021, it was held outdoors at Stone Park.[33][34] In November 2021, town meeting was held on the tennis courts at the Dedham Health and Athletic Complex, a space large enough for everyone to be indoors while still social distancing.[35] The owners, Lloyd and Roberta Gainsboro, were given a plaque thanking them for shutting down their tennis courts for the evening and hosting the first ever town meeting held "in a building that's big enough to park airplanes in."[35]
Town Meeting created a School Building/ Rehabilitation Committee (SBRC) in 2000.[47]
Dedham Middle School
In 2006 the new Dedham Middle School was opened next door to the existing Dedham Middle School, which previously served as Dedham High School from 1915 to 1959.[48] The 130,000 square feet (12,000m2)Certified Green School cost $22,353,209.[49] They 1847 Charles and Mary Brown House, which was then being used as the school administration's offices, had to be razed to make room for it.[50][51]
Avery School
In 2012 a new 61,000 square feet (5,700m2) Avery Elementary School was opened at a cost of $19,285,949.[52] Like, the Middle School, it was designed by the firm of Dore and Whittier.[52]
Early Childhood Education Center
In 2015, the SBRC was considering where to build a new Early Childhood Education Center.[53] The 2016 Annual Town Meeting spent two hours debating the construction of a new, stand-alone Early Childhood Education Center at the Dexter School. Despite a split vote of the School Building/ Rehabilitation Committee, and only one of the nine members of the Finance and Warrant Committee speaking in favor of it, the $18.9 million proposal passed with broad support.[54] It was the first pre-school and kindergarten facility in the state financed with money from the state.[54]
Oakdale School
In June 2023, the School Committee approved plans to shutter the Greenlodge School and merge it with the Oakdale School despite significant opposition to the project.[55][56] On March 20, 2024, the School Committee reversed course after a public survey showed 81% respondents supported a standalone Oakdale, and only 9% supported a combined Oakdale-Greenlodge and a similar number supported a combined Oakdale-Greenlodge.[56][lower-alpha 2]
Riverdale School
On August 29 and 30, 2023, the Active Transportation Working Group led a group in painting a mural on Needham Street outside the Riverdale School.[57] The goal of the mural, which depicts rubber ducks floating down the nearby Charles River, was to slow down traffic near the school to improve safety.[57] The image, which is an homage to the local Rotary Club's fundraiser, is expected to last between six months and two years.[58][57] It was designed by Kate Bergeron and Jaimie Varasconi.[58]
Ursuline Academy
On October 18, 2024, a mass was held in the gymnasium at Ursuline Academy to mark the transfer of sponsorship from the Ursuline Sisters to the Ursuline Education Foundation, a lay-led organization.[59] During the mass, a silver ciborium was transferred from Sister Elisa Ryan, the prioress of the Ursuline Sisters of the Central Province, to Kate Levesque, the head of school.[59]
The ciborium was originally used by the French Navy in the 1700s and eventually was given to a Boston priest, possibly Bishop Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus.[59] It was used by the sisters in Charlestown before the Ursuline Convent riots in 1834, and was saved when a group of sisters hid it below a clump of asparagus in the garden.[59] It eventually made its way into the Boston College archives before being returned to Ursuline Academy for the transfer of sponsorship.[59]
375th Anniversary
In 2011 the Town of Dedham celebrated its 375 anniversary. A steering committee was appointed by the Selectmen to coordinate a year's worth of activities marking the occasion. The Committee was composed of Marie-Louise Kehoe, Donna Greer, Nancy Baker, Mayanne Brigss, Dan Hart, Michele Heffernan, Joan Jolley, Brian Keaney, Vicky Kruckeberg, and Sarah MacDonald, with Kehoe and Greer serving as co-chairs. In September, the same month the Town was incorporated by the Great and General Court, a 375th Birthday Party was held at the Endicott Estate with over 7,500 people attending.[60] The food, rides, games, and trolley tours[lower-alpha 3] were free for Dedham residents, and non residents paid $5 a person or $20 for a family.[62]
Other events included a cocktail party at the Endicott Estate, an Ecumenical Church Service where each congregation gave their history, an essay contest for schoolchildren, and more.[60]
Awards and honors
Dedham Middle School Principal Debra Gatley was named the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators' Association Principal of the Year in 2015.[63]
In 2012 the Town Meeting created the Public Service Recognition Committee to recognize citizens who have performed outstanding acts of service to the community.[64] In 2013 Don Gosselin was recognized before the Annual Town Meeting, and in 2014 Amy Black won the adult award and Caroline Bell won the youth award.[65] In 2015 the winner was Bill Podolski.[65]
In 2015, the Dedham Fire Department unveiled a plaque on the front of their headquarters honoring the line of duty death of Chief Henry J. Harrigan.[66] During the ceremony, an alarm sounded and several firefighters left on Engine 4 to extinguish a cooking fire at a housing complex for senior citizens.[66]
A few weeks later, the Henry J. Harrigan Medal of Honor was awarded to Lieutenant William Walsh and Firefighter Jared Blaney for "going above and beyond the call of duty and putting themselves at extreme risk" by entering a burning building on Harding Terrace to save a victim trapped inside.[67]
In 2023, Roselyn "Rose" Murphy became the first female Eagle Scout from Dedham.[68]
In July 2023, the television show Pawn Stars came to the Endicott Estate to film an episode in their series, Pawn Stars do America.[76] On July 26, Rick Harrison introduced the band playing at the Dedham Junior Women's Club community concert on the Estate lawn.[77]
Scenes from the 2023 film Finestkind were filmed in Dedham.[78]
The Friends of Eddie Coyle and the Citizen's Bank robbery
On June 16, 2009, just a few weeks later, the same bank was robbed in a manner reminiscent of how it was done in the film.[79] Delroy George Henry drove up to the bank minutes before it opened.[80][81] He then forced his way in the bank and tried to get the staff to open the vault.[79][81] He also ordered staff to sit on the ground while brandishing a gun, just as was done in the film.[80]
An employee sent a text message to an employee in another branch who then called the Dedham Police Department.[80][81] A police officer working a detail 100 yards away responded quickly and apprehended Henry.[80][81]
Commemorating its 30th year, the James Joyce Ramble in 2013, 2014 and 2015 was the host for the USA Track & Field National Masters 10K Championship.[83] It was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19.[84]
In 2015, Declan Harris won the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's state wrestling championship at the 145 pound weight class, and Eric Reyes won at the 160 pound weight class. Reyes had won at 145 pounds in 2014, and at 126 pounds in 2013.[85]
Beginning in 2013, the Dedham Library Innovation Team began installing Little Free Libraries around Dedham.[89] In 2021, a grant from the Dedham Cultural Council enabled a restoration and maintenance plan to be implemented by Sal D'Antonia.[89]
October 21, 2022, the 225th anniversary of the launching of the USS Constitution, was celebrated as Commander John A. Benda Day in Dedham following a vote at Town Meeting and a proclamation from the Select Board. Benda was the second commanding officer of the Constitution to come from Dedham after Samuel Nicholson.[90]
In honor of the extensive Christmas light display that the Cushman and Civitarese family have put on at their house for 50 years, December 3, 2023 was declared to be Rita Mae Cushman Day in Dedham.
The Flag Day Parade, one of Dedham's most beloved traditions, was nearly cancelled following the financial crisis of 2007–2008, but a fundraising campaign saved it.[91] The 48th annual parade was held on June 14, 2015 with honorary Grand Marshall Bob Aldous.[92]
In 2017, for the 50th anniversary, the parade was moved from the traditional June 14, to Saturday, June 17 to accommodate the fireworks at Memorial Park that were part of the celebration.[93] During the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade was canceled in 2020 and 2021. In its place, an unofficial "rolling rally" of cars was held in its place along the same route.[94]
Karen Read trial
When Karen Read was tried for the murder of John O'Keefe at the Norfolk County Courthouse in 2024, the case drew a great deal of media attention and protesters who believed Read was innocent and was being framed by the Canton Police Department.[95] The judge in the case, Beverly Cannone, ordered a 200-foot buffer zone to be established around the courthouse to "reduce the risk of exposing witnesses or jurors in this case to such outside influences."[95]
Notes
↑ Price listed as $14,527,544 one week later in the October 19, 2015 edition of the Dedham Times.
↑ Of the 647 respondents, 59 preferred a combined Oakdale-Riverdale, 62 supported a combined Oakdale-Greenlodge, and 525 were in favor of a standalone Oakdale.[56]
Dedham is a town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 census.
The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves is one of the "oldest continually existing horse thief apprehending organization in the United States, and one of Dedham's most venerable social organizations." Since its founding there have been more than 10,000 members including heads of state, Supreme Court justices, governors, popes, professors, generals, and other notables.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1800 to 1899 saw growth and change come to the town. In fact, the town changed as much during the first few decades of the 19th century as it did in all of its previous history.
The Endicott Estate is a mansion built in the early twentieth century, located at 656 East Street in Dedham, Massachusetts “situated on a 15-acre panorama of lush green lawn that is punctuated by stately elm, spruce and weeping willow trees.” It was built by Henry Bradford Endicott, founder of the Endicott Johnson Corporation, and donated to the Town by his adopted stepdaughter, Katherine. After she died it was briefly owned by the state and intended to be used as the official residence of the Governor of Massachusetts, but was quickly returned to the Town. Today it is used for a variety of civic events and is rented out for private parties.
Dedham High School is a public high school in Dedham, Massachusetts, United States, and a part of the Dedham Public Schools district. The school was founded in 1851 by the oldest public school system in the country. It earned a silver medal from U.S. News & World Report in 2017, ranked as the 48th-best high school in Massachusetts.
The Dedham Public School System is a PK–12 graded school district in Dedham, Massachusetts. It is the oldest public school system in the United States.
St. Mary of the Assumption Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Dedham, Massachusetts, in the Archdiocese of Boston.
Henry Bradford Endicott was the founder of the Endicott Johnson Corporation as well as the builder of the Endicott Estate, in Dedham, Massachusetts. During World War I he served in numerous public capacities, including as a labor strike negotiator and as director of the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety.
The Dedham Community House is a house on the banks of the Charles River in Dedham, Massachusetts, owned and operated by the Dedham Community Association.
The history of St. Mary's Church in Dedham, Massachusetts begins with the first mass said in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1843 and runs to the present day.
Brookdale Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts, United States. More than 28,000 people are buried there. Mother Brook runs behind it.
St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal Church in Dedham, Massachusetts
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts in the 20th century saw great growth come to the town. It played host to the Sacco and Vanzetti trial, saw the Endicott Estate and a number of schools constructed, a great deal of economic development, and growth in the number of services provided by the Town.
This is a timeline of the history of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Dedham Public Library is a public library system in Massachusetts established in 1872. It is part of the Minuteman Library Network.
The Flag Day Parade is an annual parade in Dedham, Massachusetts that celebrates Flag Day. The parade began in 1967 and quickly became one of Dedham's most beloved traditions.
The Church of the Good Shepherd is an Episcopal church in Dedham, Massachusetts and the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The Dedham Fire Department is the fire department for Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Dedham Police Department is the municipal police department for the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1876, it is currently led by Chief Michael D'Entremont and is housed in Dedham's Public Safety Building.
The history of education in Dedham, Massachusetts covers schools and schooling from the establishment of the first public school in America to the present. It includes the history of the Dedham Public Schools, several Catholic schools, and other private schools. It also includes two institutions of higher education.
1 2 3 4 Hennigan, Caroline; Heald, Scott (June 9, 2023). "William B. Gould, former enslaved person and Civil War Navy Veteran, honored at statue unveiling on Memorial Day Weekend". The Dedham Times. Vol.31, no.23. p.2.
1 2 3 4 "How the statue of William B. Gould was made". The Dedham Times. Vol.31, no.21. May 26, 2023. p.3.
↑ "Preferred Schematic Report for new combined school approved". The Dedham Times. Vol.31, no.34. August 25, 2023. p.1.
1 2 3 Heald, Scott; Brophy, Matt (March 22, 2024). "Board approves standalone Oakdale School as revised proposal". The Dedham Times. Vol.32, no.12. p.1, 3, 19.
1 2 3 "Volunteers create street mural on Needham Street in front of Riverdale School". The Dedham Times. Vol.31, no.34. August 25, 2023. p.1.
1 2 "Neponset Valley Sunrise Rotary Club contributes to the new street mural in front of the Riverdale School". The Dedham Times. Vol.31, no.34. August 25, 2023. p.13.
1 2 3 4 5 Cipolla, Wes (October 25, 2025). "Ursuline Academy celebreates transfer of sponsorship". The Pilot. Vol.195, no.41. p.2.
1 2 3 "Dedham Library Innovation Team lands Dedham Cultural Council grant to launch renovation of Little Free Libraries across town". The Dedham Times. March 5, 2021. p.11.
↑ "Constitution Departing!". USS Constitution Official Facebook Page. Facebook. 29 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
↑ Bolton, Michelle Morgan (June 7, 2009). "Rallying Around Flag Day". The Boston Globe. p.SO2. Retrieved October 23, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Heald, Hana Janjigian (June 12, 2015). "Dedham's 48th Annual Flag Day Parade Set for Sunday". The Dedham Times. p.1.
↑ Martin, E.F. (November 18, 2016). "Fireworks to Celebrate the Flag in June". The Dedham Times.
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