Monday, March 18, 2013
After 37 years with the the Medfield Historical Society, Richard DeSorgher will step down because of his impending election to the Board of Selectmen.
After working with the Medfield Historical Society for 37 years, Richard DeSorgher has stepped down as a curator with the society. DeSorgher is running unopposed for a seat on the Medfield Board of Selectmen later this month. In an email to his fellow curators, DeSorgher said: Unless a massive write-in campaign surfaces, I will be elected Medfield's new selectman on March 25. Having been a selectman before, back when I was in my 20s, I know the time that the office will take. I do not want to be in a position of not being able to give 100% of my time and effort to a commitment. I am therefore resigning as a curator and as program director from the Historical Society, as I do not feel I can give the time needed to the time required as a…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Find out where to go maple sugaring nearby. Also learn the meaning of the Native American word "sinzibuckwud."
The following story originally appeared in The Portal, the newsletter of the Medfield Historical Society. It was written by curator Cheryl O'Malley. When the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts in 1620, maple sugaring was already in full swing among the Native Americans.This activity has been going on for centuries, but its beginnings are unknown. Several legends and myths surround its origins, but none have been authenticated. One Native American fable is that the chief's venison was cooked with maple syrup instead of water. This might have originated from another Native American legend about Moqua, wife of the Indian hunter Woksis. She was cooking her husband a moose dinner and at the same time working on her quill work. When she checked …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The event will raise money for the maintenance and repair of the historic church.
The following was first published in The Portal, the newsletter of the Medfield Historical Society. Town Historian Richard DeSorgher will speak about the history of Medfield's 1789 meetinghouse, steeple, and downtown Medfield on Saturday evening, March 9, at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 North Street. The gala event--which will include live music and a dinner catered by Basil's--is a fundraising event to help maintain and repair the meetinghouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Admission is $100, payable at the dinner. Reservations can be made through Sandra Andreassi at admin@firstparishmedfield.org. For more information, contact Fritz Fleischmann or Sara Drumm.
42.187379
-71.30622
First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Medfield
26 North St, Medfield, MA
/articles/gala-on-march-9-to-maintain-first-parish-church
794929
/locations/8951557
Ellis Allen was an important figure in the abolitionist movement; his name deserves to be alongside Garrison and Douglass in the history books. His home was part of the Underground Railroad.
The following originally appeared in March 2013 edition of The Portal, the monthly newsletter of the Medfield Historical Society. It was written by Town Historian Richard DeSorgher. Ellis Allen was the third of eight children born to Phineas Allen and Ruth Smith. Born in 1792, he lived at 260 North Street, which was known as the Allen Homestead. According to William Tilden, “The longevity of this family is something remarkable, developed through several generations—neither so wealthy as to tempt to idleness or dissipation, or so poor as to debar from healthful social enjoyments and good living. Death did not enter this circle of brothers and sisters for a period of 75 years. Neither were his children called to mourn the death of parent, …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
In honor of National Women's History Month, the Medfield Historical Society looks at Medfield's most extraordinary women.
The following first appeared in the Medfield Historical Society's newsletter, The Portal, in March 2013. It was written by curator Jo Ellen Collins. March is National Women's History Month -- a time when we recognize the contributions and accomplishments of women through the ages. We thought it only fitting that we should recognize some of Medfield's extraordinary women. Hannah Adams (1755-1831) is undoubtedly Medfield's most famous woman. An early American historian and pioneer in the field of comparative religion, she was also the first American author to make a living solely from writing. She was the first to attempt to represent sects and denominations from their own perspective using their own words. Her dispute with the Rev. …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Medfield Historical Society will present this program tonight, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Parish Church.
The following press release was issued by the Medfield Historical Society. The Medfield Historical Society will present the second of its spring programs, “Green, Green and Greene: A Tale of Three 18th Century Medfield Families,” taking place at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church at 26 North Street in Medfield tonight, March 4, at 7:30 p.m. In pre-Revolutionary America, the institution of slavery was an accepted practice. Medfield was no exception—a number of respected families in Medfield were slaveholders. In our March program, conducted by curator and Secretary Alice Crawley, we will focus on three Medfield men and their families: Warwick and Newport Green, brought here as slaves, and John Greene, most probably their …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Three hundred years ago, in 1713, Medfield residents on the west side of the Charles River broke away to form the town of Medway. On Feb. 4, hear historians from Medfield and Medway talk about the split.
The following press release was submitted by the Medfield Historical Society. The Medfield Historical Society will present the first of its spring programs, “Medfield—A Town Divided,” at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, 26 North Street, on Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. Three hundred years ago, in 1713, Medfield residents on the west side of the Charles River broke away to form their own community—the town of Medway. Curator Richard DeSorgher will reveal the underlying causes that led to the split and portray the impact it had on Medfield. Learn about the vote at a Medfield Town Meeting that resulted in the request to form a new town. Hear about the decision of the Massachusetts Great and General Court, which granted the request. Find…
Friday, December 7, 2012
There is still time to join the Medfield Historical Society and attend the annual holiday party which will be held at the historic Hinsdale House.
An important part of Medfield's character and appeal is its history which inclues the number of antique houses, such as the Peak House, the Dwight-Derby House, and many others that have occasionally been open to the public on house tours. On Sunday, one of Medfield's lesser-known antique houses -- the Robert Hinsdale House at 87 Harding Street -- will be open to Medfield Historical Society members for the society's members-only annual holiday party (from 2pm to 5pm). Although this is a members-only gathering, non-members who join and pay the membership dues at the door are welcome to join the festivities. The following information about the Robert Hinsdale House has been provided by the Medfield Historical Society in its monthly …
A weekly column by Town Historian Richard DeSorgher.
He died 83 years ago this week, on Dec. 7, 1929, and the town greatly felt his loss. His portrait watches over those working in the reference room of Medfield’s Memorial Public Library and yet only a handful of people in town know it is him. His donations and gifts to the town still impacts Medfield’s character to this very day. Others in town actually named their children after him. He is Granville F. Dailey. Granville Dailey was born in New York City on March 20, 1848, and was educated in the public schools there. Dailey went on to become a very successful merchant, business partner with the Medfield hat factory and vice president of the Harlem Savings Bank in New York City. Starting in 1871, Dailey and brother-in-law Haskell Searle, …
Friday, November 30, 2012
A weekly column by Town Historian Richard DeSorgher.
As we enter the final month of the year 2012, and before we enter the new year of 2013, it would be interesting in looking back to what was happening in this same community of Medfield exactly 100 years ago, in the year 1912. While Medfield’s current appropriations for all our operating budgets went over the $50,000,000 mark for the first time this year, in 1912, the total appropriation was only $32,278 -- about the same amount as this year’s operation and salaries for our conservation commission. The 1912 budget included $7,300 for our schools, $4,000 for the highway department, $2,500 for street lights, $1,200 for police and $400 for snow removal. The large highway budget reflected the new use of putting tarvia (now known as tar) on many…
Chad
1:37 pm on Wednesday, December 12, 2012
There is value in history as it informs how/why things are today. Thank you for your work & placing it where we can access it. more ›