Medfield, Massachusetts

Medfield, Massachusetts
Town

Dwight-Derby House (1651)

Seal

Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°11′15″N 71°18′25″W / 42.18750°N 71.30694°W / 42.18750; -71.30694Coordinates: 42°11′15″N 71°18′25″W / 42.18750°N 71.30694°W / 42.18750; -71.30694
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Norfolk
Settled 1649
Incorporated 1651
Government
  Type Open town meeting
Area
  Total 14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
  Land 14.5 sq mi (37.6 km2)
  Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 178 ft (54 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 12,024
  Density 829.2/sq mi (319.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 02052
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-39765
GNIS feature ID 0618323
Website http://www.town.medfield.net/

Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population is 12,024 according to the 2010 Census. It is an affluent community about 17 miles southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 45-minute drive to Boston's financial district. Attractions include the Hinkley Pond and the Peak House.

History

The territory that Medfield now occupies was, at the time of colonization, Neponset land. It was apparently sold by the Neponset leader Chickatabot to William Pynchon in the late 1620s. In 1633, however, Chickatabot died in a smallpox epidemic that decimated nearby Neponset, Narragansett and Pequot communities. Because Chickatabot and Pynchon's deal left no written deed, the Massachusetts General Court ordered "those Indians who were present when Chickatabot sold lands to Mr. Pynchon, or who know where they were, to set out the bounds thereof". Fifty years later, Chickatabot's grandson Josias Wampatuck brought a land claim against Medfield and the other towns created within the borders of the Chickatabot purchase, for which he received payment. Of those lands, Dedham was the first town formed.[1]

Dedham was incorporated in 1636, and Medfield (New Dedham) was first settled in 1649, principally by people who relocated from the former town. The first 13 house lots were laid out on June 19, 1650. In May 1651, the town was incorporated by an act of the General Court as the 43rd town in Massachusetts.[2]

The Rev. Ralph Wheelock is credited with the founding of Medfield. He was the first schoolmaster of the town's school established in 1655,[3] and now has an elementary school named after him.

The Pool, Medfield, 1889. by Dennis Miller Bunker, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Half the town (32 houses, two mills, many barns and other buildings) was destroyed by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675.[3] One house, known as the Peak House, was burnt in the war but was rebuilt shortly thereafter near downtown Medfield.

The town's boundaries originally extended into present-day Medway and Millis. In 1713 the town was divided, with the section west of the Charles River becoming the new town of Medway.[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²), of which 14.5 square miles (37.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km²) (0.62%) is water. The Charles River borders almost one-third of Medfield. Medfield is surrounded by the towns Dover, Norfolk, Walpole, Millis, and Sherborn. The Charles River marks the Millis border.

Surrounding communities

Towns that border Medfield:

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1850966    
18601,082+12.0%
18701,142+5.5%
18801,371+20.1%
18901,493+8.9%
19002,926+96.0%
19103,466+18.5%
19203,595+3.7%
19304,066+13.1%
19404,384+7.8%
19504,549+3.8%
19606,021+32.4%
19709,821+63.1%
198010,220+4.1%
199010,531+3.0%
200012,273+16.5%
201012,024−2.0%
* = population estimate.
Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Population and housing

Race Population (%)
White 96.78
Black or African American 0.51
Native American 0.04
Asian 1.76
Pacific Islander 0.01
Other 0.23
Two or more races 0.68

Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.


Age distribution


Income data

Education

Medfield Public Schools consistently ranks among the top ten school systems in Massachusetts by the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).[15] As recently as 2014, Medfield has been ranked by the U.S. News & World Report as the number nine ranked school system in Massachusetts. As of 2013, Medfield High School Seniors scored an average of 591 on the SAT Critical Reading Section, 618 on the SAT Math Section, and 598 on the SAT Writing Section.[16]

In 2005, Medfield High School and T.A. Blake Middle School switched buildings as a result of a massive construction project updating the current Medfield High School (formally T.A. Blake Middle School).

Public schools:

Private schools:

Libraries

Medfield's Free Public Library began in 1873.[19] The public library is located on Main Street.[20] In the late 18th century some of the residents of Medfield and surrounding towns formed a subscription library, called the Medfield Social Library.[21]

Events

Medfield State Hospital

One of many abandoned buildings on the grounds of the former Medfield State Hospital

Medfield State Hospital, located at 45 Hospital Road, opened in 1896 and originally operated on 685 acres (2.77 km2) of pasture. At its peak in 1952, it housed 1,500 patients. By 2001, it was down to about 300 acres (1.2 km2) and employed 450 people (including four psychologists) to care for a maximum of 147 patients. The cost to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was $21.5 million. On April 3, 2003, the doors were closed. Although the buildings are not open to the public (they have been boarded up), the grounds may be visited during daylight hours.

Points of interest

Main Street

Notable people

Sports figures

References

  1. Tilden, W. S. (1887). History of the town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886 : with genealogies of the families that held real estate or made any considerable stay in the town during the first two centuries, pp. 21-23. Boston: G. H. Ellis. Quotation from the General Court, qtd. by Tilden.
  2. Tilden, W. S. (1884). "Medfield". In D. Hamilton Hurd (Ed.), History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, pp. 439–41. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis & Co.
  3. 1 2 Tilden 1884, p. 442.
  4. Tilden 1884, p. 443.
  5. "Total Population (P1), 2010 Census Summary File 1". American FactFinder, All County Subdivisions within Massachusetts. United States Census Bureau. 2010.
  6. "Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision - GCT-T1. Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  7. "1990 Census of Population, General Population Characteristics: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1990. Table 76: General Characteristics of Persons, Households, and Families: 1990. 1990 CP-1-23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  8. "1980 Census of the Population, Number of Inhabitants: Massachusetts" (PDF). US Census Bureau. December 1981. Table 4. Populations of County Subdivisions: 1960 to 1980. PC80-1-A23. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  9. "1950 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  10. "1920 Census of Population" (PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  11. "1890 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  12. "1870 Census of the Population" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  13. "1860 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  14. "1850 Census" (PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  15. "2011 MCAS Results - Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System". Doe.mass.edu. 2011-10-14. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  16. http://www.medfield.net/mhs/attachments/article/38/Guidance%20Profile%202013%202014.pdf
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Archived January 11, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  18. "Montrose School, an independent girls' school for grades 6-12 in Medfield, Massachusetts". Montroseschool.org. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  19. Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts, v.9. 1899
  20. "medfieldpubliclibrary.org". Medfieldlibrary.org. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  21. Medfield Library [catalog]. Dedham, Mass.: Printed at the Dedham Gazette office, 1816.
  22. http://medfieldmemo.org/
  23. http://medfieldmemo.org/
  24. http://medfieldmemo.org/
  25. http://www.medfieldfoundation.org/angelrun.html/
  26. 1 2 "Film crews visit Medfield State Hospital - Medfield, MA - Medfield Press". Wickedlocal.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  27. Rocky Woods (2011-08-15). "Rocky Woods | Medfield, MA | The Trustees of Reservations". Thetrustees.org. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  28. Noon Hill (2011-08-15). "Noon Hill | Medfield, MA | The Trustees of Reservations". Thetrustees.org. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  29. http://www.medfieldhistoricalsociety.org
  30. Knapp, Theresa (2010-11-29). "Wicked Local Medfield, "Timber analysis dates Mason house beams to 1600s" Theresa Knapp/correspondent GateHouse News Service (Nov 29, 2010 @ 12:53 pm)". Wickedlocal.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  31. http://www.lowellmasonhouse.org
  32. Richard DeSorgher (2011-05-07). "The Mystery of Medfield's 'Lady of Route 27' - Medfield, MA Patch". Medfield.patch.com. AOL Inc. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  33. "05/03/09 - Kingsbury Pond - Medfield, MA Details". MA Fish Finder. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  34. "Metacomet - Connexipedia article". Connexions.org. 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  35. Tremblay, Debbie. "Metacomet Park - Medfield, MA Patch". Medfield.patch.com. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  36. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/exclusive/uzo-aduba-gap-tooth
  37. Matthew Aucoin
  38. "SI.com - MLB - Schilling buying Bledsoe's old home - Monday December 22, 2003 5:37PM". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 2003-12-22. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
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