Dedham, MA 02026
The town of Dedham
is located in Norfolk County on the southwest of Boston’s border. It has a population of approximately 24,000 in a total
area of 10.7 square miles. Dedham
is the county seat and home to Norfolk County's Superior Court and Dedham District
Court.
Dedham is one of the oldest communities in the state and known
as the “mother of towns” because 14 current communities were formed from within its original borders. Puritans first built the village in 1635 and it was incorporated in 1636.
It’s home to the oldest surviving timber frame house in the United States, the Fairbanks House, built in 1637.
Many firsts took place in Dedham, including the first man-made canal in North
America, built in 1639. The
canal connected the Charles River to the Neponset River, creating a major source of waterpower. The canal is used today for flood control
by the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation.
Dedham also authorized the first taxpayer-funded public school in the U.S. in 1644, and built the first schoolhouse in 1648, making it "the seed of American education."
Dedham has a rich and diverse architectural face, with
its monumental granite Greek Revival court house, limestone Neoclassical Registry of Deeds, Victorian prison, Romanesque Revival
public library and Renaissance and Georgian Revival schools. It has a well
preserved town center of historic homes, as well as many notable properties and estates throughout the community.
Dedham is located in the Charles and Neponset River Watersheds. The Charles River runs through Dedham, and is part of the town boundary on the northern side.
Local recreaction includes Cutler Park, 700 acres located in Needham and Dedham containing a fresh water marsh and small lake for
hiking, fishing and canoeing. Hiking can also be done at Wilson Mountain Reservation, 213 acres of protected wildlife and the largest remaining open space in Dedham,
which provides panoramic views of Boston
and the Blue Hills.
Dedham is conveniently accessible to many state highways
and Routes 128/95. Transportation is available by bus and MBTA Commuter Rail.
Amtrak high-speed express service is nearby at the Route 128 MBTA station in Westwood by the Canton town line.
