Category Archives: History

This letter today from the Town of Medway  about their two hour parade on 9/21/13 to celebrate Medway’s 300th anniversary, since breaking away from Medfield.  Richard DeSorgher tells me the left Medfield because of its refusal to build a second church for them on their side of the river.  Now in retaliation yet again, after first breaking away, now they schedule their parade on Medfield Day  –

May 6, 2013

This year, the Town of Medway is celebrating its 300th anniversary. First settled in 1657, it was incorporated as an independent community in October 1713. Until that time Medway was part of Medfield, forming its western border.

In recognition of our tercentennial, Medway has planned a number of commemorative events. One of the premier events will be the Tercentennial
Parade, which will take place at 1 PM on Saturday, September 21, 2013.
Eighteen bands are scheduled to perform in the procession and we anticipate the
parade duration to be approximately two hours.

It is with distinct pleasure to invite you on behalf of the Town of Medway and
the Medway 300 Committee to observe the parade at our viewing stand, located
at the terminus of the parade route.

We would be honored to have your participation in what is sure to be a highlight of our yearlong celebration. We appreciate your consideration of our invitation and look forward to hearing from you. Please contact Allison Potter, Board of Selectmen’s office, at 508-533-3264 to let us know if you will be joining us.

Very truly yours,
John Foresto & Dennis Crowley

Selectmen and Co-Chairmen
Medway 300 Committee

The Medfield Historical Society’s e-newsletter has become a true pleasure to receive and read.  Kudos to JoEllen Collins, whom I think is its editor.  Use the above link to connect to the April one.

This from the Friends of the Dwight-Derby House –

Volunteer at the Dwight-Derby House
Do Good, Have Fun!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Medfield, MA – Do you want to do something that is fun, satisfying and of great service to your community? Are you looking to make new friends and affiliations? To fulfill the service requirement of a club, school or church? To teach your children the value of service? Whatever your reason, consider becoming a Dwight-Derby House volunteer!

Whether you’re looking for a single-day project, the opportunity to support an annual event or to contribute a few hours a month, we have a variety of volunteer opportunities to suit your needs and your schedule.

“If you never did, you should.
These things are fun and fun is good.”

~Dr. Seuss

SPRING CLEAN-UP

Spring is right around the corner, which means many of us will be doing a little spring cleaning around our own gardens and yards. While you have all your tools out, why not help beautify the Dwight-Derby House grounds at the same time?

Grab your rake and gloves and join us on April 20th (rain date April 27th) from 1– 4 pm for our annual spring clean-up. We will be raking up winter debris on our lawn, picking up litter and dead branches and cleaning, edging and mulching garden beds. Don’t have three hours? Drop in for an hour or two.

DOCENT PROGRAM

Becoming a docent volunteer is similar to being a tour guide.

The only qualifications required are your desire to learn about the Dwight-Derby House and to share your new-found knowledge with others. You don’t need any prior experience and you don’t even need to know what to say. All you need to do is sign up for our volunteer docent training on April 5^th from 2 – 3 pm or May 17^th from 7 – 8 pm at the Dwight-Derby House. If you love history, antique buildings and interacting with people of all ages this is for you.

GIFT SHOPPE

The Dwight-Derby House Gift Shoppe, which is brimming with unique natural and locally-made products, made its debut last summer at Medfield Day and opened its doors again in Decemberfor its first annual—and highly successful—Holiday Shoppe. Because proceeds from shoppe sales support the ongoing maintenance, preservation and restoration of this historic house we would like to open more frequently and are looking for volunteers to staff the shoppe.

You’ll be involved in helping customers, tagging, arranging and replenishing merchandise, setting up displays, maintaining a tidy shoppe and ringing up sales. You don’t need prior experience—just an outgoing disposition and a desire to work with other people. Sign up for our shoppe volunteer training on Saturday, April 26^th from 3 – 4 pm at the Dwight-Derby House.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

We know you’re busy, but if you have any time to spare, we would love to have you join the Dwight-Derby House team. We guarantee it will be time well spent.

Please contact Cheryl O’Malley at 508-359-7264 if you’re interested in helping. You can visit our website www.dwightderbyhouse.org to learn more about the Dwight-Derby House.

Letter from the Kingsbury Pond Committee about the progress volunteers are making at the Grist Mill – great news –

Ann E. Krawec
Kingsbury Pond Committee
402 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052

December 12, 2012

To the Board of Selectmen,

On behalf of our colleagues on the Grist Mill Committee, Dick Judge, Garrett Graham, Andy Spencer and Ann Krawec, I am writing to thank you for your support of the Clark Kingsbury Grist Mill restoration effort, by reinstating the Kingsbury Pond Committee at your August 7,2012 meeting.  The Committee has held its first two meetings, made some interior and exterior improvements, and completed a fact finding field trip to Slater Mill in nearby Pawtuxet, RI. The purpose of this letter is to keep you apprised of our progress on what we consider to be one of Medfield’s most visible historic landmarks on the Rt. 27 gateway into Medfield.

First and foremost, an effort was undertaken to shore up and rebuild the rotted and unsafe decking in front of the mill. We are very grateful for the contributions of time and materials supplied by the Medfield Highway Department in their efforts of reconstruction to the deck and their installation of new sluiceway boards. These two projects alone have provided stability and security for us to lay the foundation to begin our quest to make the mill operational again.  The Kingsbury Pond Committee has a goal, to recreate the transitional phases of mill operation through the centuries- from the early Clark Mill circa 1718 or earlier, to today’s present structure circa 1819, with the addition of the sawmill in 1889. Our historical research leads us to conclude that these progressions included a waterwheel, and a turbine as Significant historical features, which we plan to combine with an educational museum component for the students and community, while providing an aesthetically pleasing scenic destination for fish ing, picnicking, hiking and bird-watching.

Since early spring of 2012, volunteer citizens, too many to mention by name, have contributed by painting the mill, completing small repairs of railings and stairway safety concerns, cleaning the 15 years of powder-post beetle sawdust and accumulated dirt in the interior, repairing the picnic table, broken windowpanes, and adding to the on- site artifacts. Vegetation management volunteers have worked on the exterior surrounding the building, to trim back and control thorny or poisonous overgrowth, improved the driveway with gravel to control dust, and participated in regular mowing and planting of bulbs and herbs and adorned the facade with seasonal decor of pumpkins, Indian corn and, at present, holiday greens and roping. Several organizations have contributed their time and talent and we would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the Medfield Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and offer our sincerest appreciation for additional contributions from our local contractors including APC Pest Control, Hurley-Testa Construction, and Needham Garden Center to help preserve the structure and the landscape. Medfield’s Highway Department also did a great job installing the new split rail fence along the pond and behind the mill building as was required by the town’s insurance company.

Additional valuable assistance to note with our great appreciation, has been made by Barbara Leighton, Richard DeSorgher, our Town Historian and Curator of the Medfield Historical Society, and David Temple, President of the Historical Society and Historic District Commission member, as well as the Estate of Mike Cronin, and we would like to thank them for their support, insight, historical narrative and contributions of documents, photos and notes of previous mill restoration efforts.

In closing, we would also like to thank our Town Administrator, Mike Sullivan, and you, the Board of Selectmen, for your continued support of our efforts. We will update you periodically on our progress as we move forward to our goal of a fully operational and historic Clark Kingsbury Grist Mill, the next historic jewel in Medfield.

Sincerely,
Ann E. Krawec
Kingsbury Pond Committee