Medfield History: Living in the Past and Proud of It

Our town’s history, historical houses, landscape and open space are what makes Medfield, Medfield; that unique quality we have here that makes Medfield so special. This column will be the one-stop shopping place to keep you informed, whether you are a local history buff or just concerned about our town and its rich history. Each week the “William Tilden Award” will be given, recognizing an individual who contributes to our town’s history in a positive way, a restored piece of historic property, a contractor who preserves a historic house, an organization whose efforts add to our history, etc.

Medfield Historical Society:

Final Holiday Sale will take place on Saturday, December 17 from 10-12 noon at the Historical Society Museum on 6 Pleasant Street. *  Both Tilden’s and DeSorgher’s History of Medfield books will be on sale with a special 25 percent Holiday discount. Other sale items include: Peak House Plates, Peak House Cup-Plates, Historical Medfield maps, History of Medfield DVD’s with all proceeds going to the Medfield High School Scholarship fund, post cards and a variety of Byron Reed paintings, and local authored books. *  For additional information, see the Historical Society website: http://medfieldhistory.org

“Save the Date, Feb. 6:” Medfield Historical Society will be joining with the “Medfield Reads” program and focus it’s February Program around the book Outwitting History.  The February Historical Society Program is entitled “Medfield Newcomers; Cultural Stories of Medfield’s Past.”

The February 6, 2012 program will be held at the First Parish Church and will look at the arrival of the first Puritan settlers in the 1650’s; the Arcadians forced removal to Medfield from Canada, the Irish and Italian immigration waves in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,  the coming of the social and wealthy Bostonians in the early 20th century and the arrival of the urban Bostonians following WWII. More information will be forthcoming.

Committee to Study Memorials:

In the December meeting of The Committee to Study Memorials, plans were made to upgrade and replace the honor and civic square memorials located around town. Honor Squares, named in honor and memory of those who died in war currently have information plaques underneath the Honor Square’s name. The plaques have not held up well under the weather elements and the Committee will research other types of signs that can be used. Several of the blue information plaques have corroded and the ones honoring Joseph Pace, John Crowder and Thomas Clews were either stolen or missing.

The committee also is looking at the names of at least three veterans whose names were left off the Korean War Memorial in Baxter Park.  The committee will contact monument companies to have the names added. A mistake was also reported on the Vietnam Memorial, where an incorrect middle initial was used on one veteran’s name. The monument company will investigate if such a correction can be made.  Committee member and Veteran Agent Ron Griffin will contact our state representatives with concern over the condition of the honor squares located on the former state hospital property.

Committee members include: Richard DeSorgher, Ron Griffin, Frank Iafolla, Jane Lomax and David Temple.

The William Tilden Award:

The weekly award recognizing an individual who contributes to our town’s history in a positive way, a restored piece of historic property, a contractor who preserves a historic house, an organization whose efforts add to our history, etc., is named after William Tilden, Town Historian, author of the History of Medfield 1650-1886, state representative, one for the founders of the Medfield Historical Society and its first president. He was a life-long Medfield resident from his birth in 1830 until his death in 1912.

This week’s award goes to: Kyle Andrulonis and Kabir Thatte, Medfield High School seniors who recently became the first Student Curators on the Medfield Historical Society. The seniors will serve for a one-year term, ending at the close of the school year in May.

Both students have shown interest in Medfield’s history and have been volunteering at the Society Headquarters on Saturdays since September. Both students also played an active part in the 9/11 Flag display at the Peak House on the 10th Anniversary of that tragic event and at the Historical Society’s fall programs held at the First Parish Meetinghouse. 

Kyle and Kabir attend the Society and Curator meetings and have brought enthusiasm and a youth perspective to the programs run by the Historical Society.  For their interest in local history and their enthusiasm and sense of involvement, this weeks William S. Tilden Award goes, with gratitude and appreciation, to Kabir Thatte and Kyle Andrulonis.

Previous Award recipients include: Mary Downing, Betsy and Brad Phipps, Harry Pritoni,  Stephen and Kathleen McCrossan, and Barbara Leighton.