| Norfolk House | |
|---|---|
 Norfolk House at the turn of the 20th Century | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Location | 19 Court Street, Dedham, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°14′55″N71°10′38″W / 42.2485°N 71.1772°W |
| Construction started | 1802 |
| Completed | 2017 |
The Norfolk House also known as the Norfolk Hotel, was a tavern in Dedham, Massachusetts originally built in 1801 and located at 19 Court Street. [1] It hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. [1] [2]
During the first few years of the 19th century, several turnpikes, including those linking Boston and Providence and Dedham and Hartford, were laid through Dedham. Inns and taverns sprung up along the new roads as more than 600 coaches would pass through Dedham each day on their way to Boston or Providence. [3] As many as 40 coaches passed through town every day, [4] and Dedham was the first stop on the way to Providence, or the last stop on the way to Boston. [5]
In 1802, a local mason named Martin Marsh built his brick home at what is today 19 Court Street and was on then then-new new turnpikes. [5] He saw the traffic flowing daily past his house and quickly turned his home into a tavern. [5] He obtained a 999-year lease from First Church for the land on June 15, 1801, for $30 a year. [6] [lower-alpha 1] His establishment, the Norfolk House, like the other inns and taverns in Dedham at that time, were bustling with the arrival of both the turnpikes and the courts. [5] [1]
The tavern was affiliated with the Tremont Stagecoach Line, [5] which Marsh founded in 1814 with John Ellis. [7] It left Dedham at 7 a.m. in the summer at 8:30 in the winter, Monday through Saturday, and stopped at Mr. Davenport's Tavern on Elm St., Boston. [8] [lower-alpha 2] The afternoon trip left at 4:00. [9] The Boston terminal later changed to Clark's Tavern in Brattle Square, Boston, later that year. [10] A one way fare was 62.5 cents. [8] It had a fierce competition with the nearby Phoenix Hotel's [lower-alpha 3] Citizen Stagecoach Line. [lower-alpha 4]
The original portico of the house was the site of the first recorded traffic accident in Dedham. [5] A runaway carriage crashed into the corner post and broke it. [5] Citizens could also pay their taxes at the tavern. [10] After a new Norfolk County Jail was built in 1817, the tools used in the project were auctioned off at the tavern. [10]
Though he wanted to sell it as early as 1814, [11] Marsh maintained the tavern until 1818, and then sold it to Moses Gragg and Francis Alden. [12] [5] [13] [lower-alpha 5] It was this partnership who renamed it as the Norfolk House [15] and who hosted President Andrew Jackson for lunch as he and his entourage passed through town in 1832. [5] The Norfolk House was also a hotbed for Republican politics in its day. [13] [5] It competed with the Democratic Phoenix House. [13] [5] The proprietors of the two establishments generally stayed away from each other but "every once in a while they slipped and then there would be a short burst of newspaper venom." [5]
In 1820, three bays were added to the north of the building. [1] In addition, another bay and a large ell were added to the rear, and the building gained a third story. [1] The building had a stable and sheds associated with it. [14]
In 1821, Alden left to run Timothy Gay's tavern on High Street [15] and Gragg ran it alone. [13] In 1828, Alden returned when Gragg went to Milton to open the Blue Hill Hotel. [13] [16] Under Alden, it became a popular social venue. [16] He added an addition that included a third floor, spring loaded dancefloor in the ballroom that measured 68 feet long by 28 feet wide. [16]
On May 24, 1822, a "learned elephant" was on display at the tavern. [16] For 12.5 cents, spectators could watch the elephant stand on two legs, remove a cord and drink from a bottle, whistle, and take a bow. [16] It could also pick up coins off the ground and deliver them to her handler. [16]
On June 22, 1833, a few months after President Andrew Jackson Vice President Martin Van Buren were sworn in, they took a tour of New England. [16] The president's carriage was pulled by four white horses and pulled into town around noon, where he received a 24-gun-salute. [16] John Richardson, the president of the Norfolk Mutual Fire Insurance Company, gave a welcoming address. [16] Jackson and Van Buren had lunch at the Norfolk House before continuing on to Boston. [16]
In 1840, Martin Bates purchased the property. [5] [13] He leased the property out to a variety of landlords who sometimes served alcohol and other times didn't with little regard for the liquor laws in place at the time. [17] [lower-alpha 6]
Bates sometimes kept a moose behind the property, and charged admission to see it. [5] [16] A Mr. Crossman co-owned the moose with Bates, and offered to buy Bates out. [5] [17] Bates failed to tell Crossman that the moose had a specialized diet, however, and the moose began losing weight and looking sickly. [5] [17] Crossman offered to sell the moose back to Bates, but Bates refused, saying the moose was too ill. [5] [17] Crossman then offered to simply give the moose back to Bates. [5] [17] This offer was accepted, the moose was fattened up again, and then sold to a circus. [5] [17] [lower-alpha 7]
In 1863, the Norfolk House was the site of a grand ball thrown in honor of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. [17]
Horace Mann lived for several years at the Norfolk House in the early 1800s and opened a law office in December 1823. [19]
The Norfolk House was also the site where "on June 4, 1810, in an expression of public outrage, a number of Dedham citizens assembled" and founded the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. The Society met there annually for a number of years. [20] Today the Society is one of the oldest continually existing horse thief apprehending organizations in the United States, and "one of Dedham's most venerable social organizations." [21]
The hotel also hosted a number of political conventions, weddings, and other gatherings, [22] as well as the annual meetings of the various fire engine and militia companies. [23] The Dedham Bank held meetings there from 1814 to 1849. [10]
The Norfolk House was the meeting place of the Constellation Lodge of Freemasons for many years. [24] Both Mason, and his successors, Alden and Gragg, were Masons. [24] A new Masonic Lodge was built in 1829. [24]
The railroad came to Dedham in 1836, and stagecoach traffic dwindled until it stopped all together in 1842. [5] The temperance movement also put pressure on taverns, and the house ceased to be a tavern in 1866. [1] [5] Its final landlord was arrested for operating a public nuisance. [17] By this time, and especially after an incident in which a group of Irish immigrants from Dedham and Roxbury got drunk and four people were stabbed, Bates was ready to sell the property. [5] [25]
Bates tried to sell it to the Town of Dedham, but the town was not interested. [5] [25] In a fit of spite, Bates then sold it to the Sisters of Charity to open St. Mary's School and Asylum, an orphanage and school for girls, for $1. [5] [25] [17]
James Allen (1809-1837), also known as George Walton, Jonas Pierce, James H. York, Burley Grove, was a Massachusetts, United States highwayman in the early 19th century.
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 Norfolk County Courthouse, also known as the William D. Delahunt courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark at 650 High Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. It currently houses the Norfolk County Superior Court. It is significant as a well-preserved Greek Revival courthouse of the 1820s, and as the site a century later of the famous Sacco-Vanzetti trial. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1972, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It replaced an earlier courthouse, built in 1795.
Theron Metcalf was an American attorney and politician from Massachusetts. He was a New England jurist and served as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
The history of rail in Dedham, Massachusetts begins with the introduction of the first rail line in 1836 and runs to the present day. Multiple railroads have serviced Dedham since then, and current service is provided by the MBTA. The station in Dedham Square built in 1881 out of Dedham Granite was demolished in 1951 and the stones were used to put an addition on the Town's library. There are two active stations today, and multiple others in close proximity.
Nathaniel Ames represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court.
The Norfolk County Jail was a jail located on Village Avenue in Dedham, Massachusetts. It replaced the first Norfolk County Jail on nearby Highland Street.
John P. Brennan was the first American Catholic priest to declare bankruptcy.
The Norfolk County Jail was a jail located on Highland Street in Dedham, Massachusetts. Following the creation of Norfolk County in 1792, Timothy Gay deeded land to the county for the creation of his jail next to his tavern on Highland Street in October 1794. Construction began that year but it was not complete until 1795.
Jabez Chickering was a lawyer and businessman from Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Dedham Bank was a bank in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was located on the corner of High and Pearl Streets.
The Phoenix Hotel was one of the most popular social spots in Dedham during the 19th century. It was located on the northwest corner of the High Street-Washington Street intersection in modern-day Dedham Square. Among the distinguished guests of this hotel were Andrew Jackson and James Monroe.
St. Mary's School and Asylum was a Catholic girls' school and orphanage in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Temperance Hall was an assembly hall in Dedham, Massachusetts associated with the temperance movement.
This is a timeline of the history of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.
19 Court Street is an historic building in Dedham, Massachusetts that was originally built in 1801 as a two-story, Federal-style single-family home. It was soon thereafter converted into a tavern, and hosted John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. In the 2010s it was converted into apartments. It has more than 15,000 square feet of living space.
Martin Marsh was a mason, tavern keeper, and businessman from Dedham, Massachusetts. He built 19 Court Street in Dedham.
The Dedham Fire Department is the fire department for Dedham, Massachusetts.
369 Washington Street, also known as the Knights of Columbus building, is a fraternal and commercial building in Dedham, Massachusetts. Today it houses the local Knights of Columbus council and a number of commercial ventures. In the past, the property housed a number of taverns, including the Phoenix Hotel. Several notable guests, including Andrew Jackson and James Monroe, have visited the property.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
