USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, vol 1 > Part 58
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"The President was then conducted on foot by the committee through the throng of spectators, who were ranged in two lines nearly the whole length of Court Street, bowing gracefully to the people on either side as he passed, to the open space in front of the meeting house, where the First Regiment commanded by Colonel Eaton was paraded. After receiving the salute of the military and reviewing them, he, together with his suite, were conducted to the Norfolk Hotel, where they dined. At one o'clock he took his seat in an open barouche, together
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
with the Vice President and the two aids of Governor Lincoln, and departed on his journey to Boston amid the cheers of the assembled multitude."
Abraham Lincoln, then a member of Congress from Illinois, came to Massa- chusetts in 1848 to make some speeches in the interest of Taylor and Fillmore, the whig candidates for President and Vice President. On the afternoon of Wed- nesday, September 20, 1848, he spoke in Temperance Hall (the old court-house) at Dedham, following the convention which renominated Horace Mann for Con- gress. He was escorted from Boston by a number of citizens of that city, among whom was George H. Monroe, a well known newspaper man of that day, who afterward wrote the following account of the speech :
"When the party arrived at the little hall, late in the afternoon, it was found to be but half full, and with an apparently stupid and morose speaker it was thought the jug was up. But the moment Mr. Lincoln began to speak there was a change. He was no longer indifferent, but started off with fine effect. Pretty soon he turned up the sleeves of his black alpaca sack coat, then he turned up the cuffs of his shirt, and by and by he loosened his necktie, and wound up by taking it off altogether, the enthusiasm of his rural listeners rising steadily as the transformation progressed. The speaker bubbled over with humor, told funny stories of western life to illustrate points in his argument, and talked to his audi- tors in the most familiar and off-hand way imaginable. Suddenly, after he had been talking half an hour, a locomotive bell on a train about to start for Boston was heard. Lincoln stopped and said he had to speak in Cambridge in the eve- ning and must run for the train. Cries of 'No! No! Don't stop!' etc., came from all over the hall, and one man promised to hitch up his nag and take the speaker to Cambridge later, but Lincoln said 'I have kept my word with you and I must do the same by the Cambridge people; I can't afford to take any chances,' and he went, attended by every evidence of genuine regret on the part of the Dedhamites."
That was ten years before Mr. Lincoln's debates with Stephen A. Douglas brought him into national prominence, and twelve years before he was elected President. He was practically unknown in the East in 1848, and it may be inter- esting to the reader to know how he was regarded by the opposition. His meet- ing at Temperance Hall is thus described by the Norfolk Democrat: "From twelve to twenty of our citizens went to the depot to meet the delegations from Roxbury and Dorchester Taylor clubs and the Hon. Western member of Con- gress. A procession was formed of about 100 and marched through the streets accompanied by the Dorchester Band of musicians. When opposite the Phoenix House nineteen individuals mustered courage enough to tell the procession that they could hurrah three times. We believe the procession was not interrupted by cheers again till they arrived at the hall.
"Mr. Lincoln was received with a good deal of applause by about a fifth of the audience, who appeared to do all the applause. The speaker was limited as to time and did not recite all his speech. We did not hear him through, but presume he gave great satisfaction to the Taylorites present. He was escorted to the depot by the Dedham Whig Club and a band of music, and after he had left 51 men and boys marched back again to the hall."
The Roxbury Gazette, another opposition paper, gives this account: "The Hon. Abraham Lincoln of Illinois came out in the cars at half past three P. M. with fifty-one persons, who, we presume from the posters, were drummed up
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
for a demonstration. The procession, escorted by the Dedham Taylor Club, composed of from twelve to fifteen persons, was indeed a melancholy display. But it will appear brilliantly enough in the Atlas. (The Boston Atlas was a whig paper.) That is past hurt. We have no doubt that both conventions were satis- factory to the parties interested. We only regret that they cannot be repeated in every town in this county and district previous to the election."
To the credit of these newspapers, who thus "poked fun" at Mr. Lincoln in 1848, it can be said that thirteen years later, when the nation was in the throes of Civil war, they gave his administration loyal support in behalf of the Union.
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS
Few counties in the country are better provided with benevolent and charitable institutions than Norfolk. There are three state institutions of this nature located within the limits of the county, viz: The Medfield Asylum for the Insane, which was opened for the reception of patients by the governor's proclamation on May I, 1896, and the Insane Asylum at Foxboro. The state also has a hospital school at Canton.
Almost every town has its farm or home for the unfortunate poor. These institutions are maintained at the expense of the town, those of the inmates who are able to work being given employment about the farm or home. Thousands of dollars have been expended by the towns in the establishment and support of these homes for the poor.
In May, 1852, the "Sailors' Snug Harbor," a home for invalid or disabled seamen, was established in Quincy, and the National Sailors' Home was opened in the same town on March 14, 1865, for the benefit of sailors and marines who fought on the side of the Union in the Civil war.
About 1863 an institution known as the "Temporary Asylum for Discharged Female Prisoners" was established at Dedham, through the efforts of Miss Hannah B. Chickering. The object of the home is to care for women after their discharge from any reformatory institution, and for girls and women placed on probation by the courts. While in the institution they are taught sewing, laundry work, house work, etc., and every effort made to elevate their moral tone.
In the way of general hospitals, all the populous towns are well supplied. Brookline has six such institutions, to wit: The Board of Health Hospital, the Corey Hill, the Summit, the Infants', the Free Hospital for Women, and the House of the Good Samaritan. Simpson Hospital is conducted in connection with Wellesley College, and at Norwood the Civic Association Hospital is one of the best equipped in the eastern part of Massachusetts. The Quincy City Hospital was established some years ago and in the spring of 1917, after war with Ger- many was declared, steps were taken to equip 100 beds in this institution for use as an emergency military hospital. The Nurses' Association of Dedham has accumulated a fund of some twenty thousand dollars for the establishment of a general hospital in that town. The Milton Hospital and Convalescent Home offers the pure, wholesome atmosphere of the Blue Hill region to persons recover- ing from illness, accompanied by medical treatment at the hands of skilled physi- cians and surgeons, and the Glover Home and Hospital of Needham is conducted along modern lines.
CHAPTER LIII
STATISTICAL REVIEW
CENSUS REPORTS SINCE 1790-COMPARATIVE TABLE OF POPULATION BY TOWNS FOR 1910 AND 1915-OFFICIAL ROSTER-LIST OF PRINCIPAL COUNTY OFFICERS FROM 1793 TO 1917 - CLERKS - SHERIFFS - TREASURERS - REGISTERS OF DEEDS - COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
Norfolk County was created by an act of the General Court on March 26, 1793, and was organized the following June. In June, 1917, the county was there- fore 124 years old. The following table shows the growth in population from the time the county was organized to the last official census. The first United States census was taken in 1790, three years before Norfolk County was called into existence, but the population for that year has been easily ascertained by taking the figures for the Suffolk County towns that were afterward set off to form the County of Norfolk.
1790
23,878
1800
27,216
1810
31,245
1820
36,47I
1830
41,972
1840
53,140
1850
78,892
1860
109,950
1870
89,443
1880
96,462
1890
118,950
1900
151,539
1910
. 171,999
1915 (State census) .
201,907
From this table it will be seen that there has been a steady increase in the num- ber of inhabitants in each census period, except in the decade from 1860 to 1870. The decrease in that period was caused by the annexation to Boston of the Town of Roxbury on January 5, 1868, and the Town of Dorchester on January 3. 1870, the population of those towns having formerly been enumerated in Norfolk County, where they belonged. The increase between 1870 and 1880 was checked to some extent by the annexation of West Roxbury to Boston on January 5, 1874.
In the following table is given the population of the several towns of the
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
county according to the United States census for 1910 and the state census for 1915.
Towns
1910
1915
Avon
2,013
2,164
Bellingham
1,696
1,953
Braintree
8,066
9,343
Brookline
27,792
33,490
Canton
4,797
5,623
Cohasset
2.585
2,800
Dedham
9,284
II,043
Dover
798
999
Foxboro
3,863
3,755
Franklin
5,641
6,440
Holbrook
2,816
2,948
Medfield
3.466
3.648
Medway
2,696
2,846
Millis
1,399
1,442
Milton
7,924
8,600
Needham
5,026
6,542
Norfolk
960
1,268
Norwood
8,014
10,977
Plainville
1,385
1,408
Quincy
32,642
40,674
Randolph
4,30I
4,734
Sharon
2,310
2,468
Stoughton
6,316
6,982
Walpole
4,892
5,490
Wellesley
5,413
6,439
Westwood
1,266
1,448
Weymouth
12,895
13,969
Wrentham
1,743
2,414
Total
171,999
201,907
In a number of the published tables of the census for 1910, the total popula- tion of the county is given as 187,506, but there was evidently an error in footing the column, as any one can verify by adding the figures above. Between the years 1910 and 1915 the Town of Foxboro is the only one in the county that shows a decrease. the population in 1910 being 108 more than in 1915. All the other towns in the county show an increase, and the loss in Foxboro is so slight that it may have been due to errors in taking the enumeration.
OFFICIAL ROSTER
Following is a list of the principal county officers from the time Norfolk County was established in 1793 to the beginning of the year 1917, with the year in which each was elected or entered upon the duties of his office: (Some of the early officers were appointed by the governor of the state.)
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
Clerks of Courts-Nathaniel Ames, 1793; John Lathrop, Jr., 1797; Horatio Townsend, 1799; John S. Williams, 1811; Horatio Townsend, 1812; Jairus Ware, 1826; Ezra W. Sampson, 1836; Erastus Worthington, 1866; Louis A. Cook, since January 1, 1897. Dr. Nathaniel Ames, the first clerk, was also an asso- ciate justice of the Court of Common Pleas.
Sheriffs-Ebenezer Thayer, 1793; Atherton Thayer, 1794; Benjamin C. Cut- ler, 1798; Elijah Crane, 1810; William Brewer, 1811; Elijah Crane, 1812; John Baker, 1834; Jerauld N. E. Mann, 1843 : Thomas Adams, 1848; John W. Thomas, 1852; Thomas Adams, 1853: John W. Thomas, 1857; Rufus C. Wood, 1878; Augustus B. Endicott, 1885 ; Samuel H. Capen, since 1899.
Treasurers-Isaac Bullard, 1793; John Bullard (son of Isaac), 1808; George Ellis, 1852; Chauncey C. Churchill, 1855; Charles H. Smith, 1889; Henry D. Humphrey, 1907. Chauncey C. Churchill died in office on April 18, 1889, and Charles H. Smith, of Dover, was appointed to serve until the next election. Mr. Smith was elected at each succeeding election until succeeded by the present treasurer, Henry D. Humphrey in 1907.
Registers of Deeds-Eliphalet Pond, 1793; James Foord, 1813; Enos Foord, 1821 ; James Foord (2nd), 1861 ; John H. Burdakin, 1873 ; Edward L. Burdakin, 1916; Walter W. Chambers, 1917. Four registers of deeds died while in office. James Foord died on October 15, 1821. His successor, Enos Foord, held the office for nearly forty years, his death occurring on April 22, 1861. John H. Burdakin died in October, 1916, and his brother, Edward L. Burdakin, was appointed to the vacancy. He died on June 12, 1917, when the present incumbent, Walter W. Chambers, was appointed.
County Commissioners-By the act of February 26, 1828, the Court of Gen- eral Sessions of the Peace was abolished and the governor was authorized to appoint four commissioners in each county to perform the functions formerly exercised by the Court of Sessions. On April 14, 1828, Gov. Levi Lincoln appointed as commissioners in Norfolk County Samuel P. Loud, William Ellis, Nathaniel Tucker and L'ouis Fisher.
These commissioners held office until after the passage of the act of April 8, 1835, which authorized the people to elect three county commissioners. Samuel P. Loud, Seth Mann and Joseph Hawes were elected in Norfolk County. The first meeting of this board was held on May 22, 1835. It seems that the people were somewhat lax in the performance of their duty in the matter of electing commissioners, as on March 17, 1841, an act of the Legislature went into effect authorizing the governor to fill vacancies, in case of failure to elect, from the candidates receiving the highest number of votes. No change was made in the board in Norfolk County from 1835 to 1844, when James C. Doane was elected to succeed Seth Mann. In 1847 Nathan Jones succeeded Joseph Hawes, and in 1853 Nathaniel F. Safford succeeded Samuel P. Loud.
By the act of November 11, 1854, the people were to elect one commissioner annually, to serve for three years. Under this law a change was made in the board each year, except in case of reelections. Since that time the board of commissioners for each year is given in the following list, except in those years where no change was made. In such cases the number of years served by the same members of the board is indicated :
1854-55-James C. Doane, Nathaniel F. Safford and Bradford S. Farrington.
479
HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
1856-Nathaniel F. Safford, Bradford S. Farrington and Seth Mann. 1857-58-Seth Mann, Nathaniel F. Safford and Lucas Pond. 1859-62-Nathaniel F. Safford, Lucas Pond and Charles Endicott. 1863-64-Charles Endicott, Nathaniel F. Safford and Milton M. Fisher. 1865-66-Milton M. Fisher, Nathaniel F. Safford and David H. Bates. 1867-70-David H. Bates, Milton M. Fisher and Joseph M. Churchill.
1871-David H. Bates, Milton M. Fisher and Galen Orr. Mr. Orr came on the board in April, when Joseph M. Churchill was appointed associate justice of the Municipal Court of the City of Boston.
1872-73-Nathaniel F. Safford, David H. Bates and Galen Orr. 1874-77-Galen Orr, Nathanel F. Safford and James Humphrey. 1878-79-James Humphrey, Galen Orr and George W. Wiggin. 1880-82-George W. Wiggin, Jabez Talbot, Jr., and James Humphrey. 1883-88-George W. Wiggin, John Q. A. Field and Jabez Talbot, Jr. 1889-Melville P. Morrell, George W. Wiggin and Jabez Talbot, Jr. 1890-92-George W. Wiggin, Melville P. Morrell and John Q. A. Lothrop. 1893-Melville P. Morrell, John Q. A. Lothrop and Thomas Blanchard. 1894-96-Melville P. Morrell, Thomas Blanchard and Watts H. Bowker. 1897-Thomas Blanchard, Edwin D. Wadsworth and Melville P. Morrell. 1898-1901-Thomas Blanchard, James Hewins and Edwin D. Wadsworth. 1902-04-James Hewins, Thomas Blanchard and Marshall P. Wright. 1905-06-Marshall P. Wright, James Hewins and Sumner H. Foster. 1907-Sumner H. Foster, John F. Merrill and Evan F. Richardson. 1908-12-John F. Merrill, Evan F. Richardson and Silas A. Stone. 1913-17-John F. Merrill, Evan F. Richardson and Everett M. Bowker.
CHAPTER LIV
CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY
The history of every country is made up of a series of events, each one of which is dependent upon and the sequence of those that preceded it. As a fitting conclusion to this History of Norfolk County the following summary of events leading up to the county's settlement and organization, as well as many events that have occurred since its establishment, has been compiled for the ready reference of the reader. At first glance it may appear that some of the events have only a remote or indirect connection with the county's history. And while this may be true, to some extent, each one is a link in the chain, the first link of which was forged when Christopher Columbus discovered America. Without any one of these links the chain might have been differently forged and this history would have been differently written.
THE SUMMARY
October 12, 1492. Columbus first sighted the land of the Western Hemis- phere.
March 5, 1496. Henry VII of England granted a patent of discovery and trade to John Cabot and his sons. This patent afterward became the basis of English claims to territory in the New World.
June 24, 1497. John Cabot and his son Sebastian landed near the mouth of the St. Lawrence and explored the coast from there southward.
February 3, 1498. A new patent was issued to the Cabots.
May 15, 1602. Bartholomew Gosnold discovered Cape Cod. He and his men were doubtless the first white men to set foot on Massachusetts soil.
April 10, 1603. Martin Pring and Williame Browne left Bristol, England, with two ships for New England.
April, 1603. James I became King of England.
, 1603. Henry IV, King of France, granted the land from the fortieth to the forty-sixth parallels of north latitude to De Monts, who attempted to estab- lish a settlement at Mount Desert.
March 31, 1605. The Archangel, Capt. George Weymouth, left Dartmouth, England, for America and reached Cape Cod about the middle of May.
April 10, 1606. First patents issued to the London and Plymouth companies, giving authority to establish settlements in America.
May 31, 1607. The Plymouth Company sent two ships and about one hundred men to open a plantation in New England.
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
March, 1614. Capt. John Smith sailed from London and during the follow- ing summer explored the coast of Massachusetts.
-, 1619. It is believed by some writers that in this year Capt. Thomas Dermer visited the harbors of Boston and Plymouth.
July 3, 1620. Sir Thomas Coventry ordered to prepare a patent for the Plymouth Company. This patent passed the seals on November 3, 1620, and is known as the "Great Patent for New England."
July 22, 1620. The Speedwell left Delft, Holland, for Southampton, England. September 6, 1620. The Mayflower sailed out of Plymouth Harbor, carrying IOI passengers, bound for America.
November 9, 1620. The Mayflower sighted the cliffs of Cape Cod. About this time Peregrine White was born on board the Mayflower-the first white child claiming New England as his birthplace.
December 21, 1620. The pilgrims landed at Plymouth. The same day Rich- ard Butteridge died-the first death in New England.
December 30, 1620. The storehouse at Plymouth completed.
January 14, 1621. The storehouse at Plymouth destroyed by fire.
July, 1622. A grant of land made to Thomas Weston, who sent a company to found a colony. The company landed at Wessagusset (now Weymouth) and began the first settlement in what is now Norfolk County. It was short-lived.
December, 1622. Robert Gorges received a grant of land covering "ten miles of seacoast and extending thirty miles inland."
September, 1623. A company brought over by Robert Gorges settled at the place where the Weston Company had attempted to open a plantation the year before. This was the second permanent settlement in Massachusetts.
March 19, 1628. A patent was granted to the Massachusetts Company embrac- ing the land between the Merrimac and Charles rivers.
August 28, 1629. The charter of the Massachusetts Company was transferred to America.
April 10, 1634. News received in Boston that the Massachusetts charter had been recalled and a governor-general appointed to administer the affairs of the colony.
September 2, 1635. The Gorges settlement at Wessagusset incorporated as a plantation under the name of Weymouth.
September 3, 1635. The General Court ordered a plantation to be settled two miles above the falls of the Charles River.
August, 1636. Beginning of the Pequot war.
September 8, 1636. The plantation on the Charles River incorporated as the Town of Dedham.
March, 1639. The first printing press in Massachusetts was brought to Can- bridge by Stephen Daye.
March 28, 1639. The Town of Dedham ordered the construction of "Mother Brook"-the first canal in America.
May 13, 1640. The Town of Braintree was incorporated.
May 10, 1643. Massachusetts was divided into four counties-Essex, Middle- sex, Norfolk and Suffolk. (The Norfolk County then established was not the present county bearing that name.)
Vol. I-31
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
1643. John Winthrop brought over material and workmen for the establishment of an iron works.
June 15, 1648. Margaret Jones executed at Charlestown. This was the first trial and execution for witchcraft in Massachusetts.
May 22, 1650. The Town of Medfield was established.
October 4, 1656. The General Court imposed a penalty of froo upon any ship captain bringing Quakers into Massachusetts.
May 7, 1662. The Town of Milton was incorporated.
-, 1667. The first sheep were brought to Dedham.
October 15, 1673. Town of Wrentham was incorporated.
June 24, 1675. Indians attack the Town of Swanzey. This was the beginning of King Philip's war.
February 21, 1676. Medfield surprised and burned by the Indians.
July 25, 1676. Pumoham, sachem of Shaomet (now Warwick, Rhode Island), killed in the woods near Dedham.
August 12, 1676. King Philip killed in a swamp near Mount Hope and his son sold into slavery-end of King Philip's war.
April 14, 1680. William Nahaton and his brothers and sisters, Indians, deeded to the white men a tract of land by the Great Falls of the Charles River.
April 18, 1681. John and Sara Magus deeded a tract of land lying between Watertown and Natick to the white men.
April 18, 1685. Charles Josias (Wampetuck) a grandson of the old chief, Chickatabot, executed a deed confirming the grant of his grandfather.
-
, 1693. The first postoffice in America was established at Boston.
April 24, 1704. First issue of the Boston News Letter-the first newspaper in the British colonies in America. It ran for seventy-two years. The New York Historical Society has the only complete file.
November 13, 1705. The Town of Brookline was incorporated.
November 5, 17II. The Town of Needham was incorporated.
October 24, 1713. The Town of Medway was incorporated.
November 27, 1719. The Town of Bellingham incorporated.
June 27, 1721. First vaccination in America by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston of Brookline upon his son and two negro servants.
December 10, 1724. The Town of Walpole set off from Dedham and incor- porated.
December 22, 1726. The Town of Stoughton was incorporated.
September 13, 1728. The General Court passed the act incorporating the first paper mill in America. It was located in the Town of Milton.
March 18, 1762. A Dedham town meeting chose a committee to build a powder house "on a great rock in Aaron Fuller's field near the Charles River."
March 22, 1765. The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament.
March 18, 1766. The Stamp Act was repealed. The news reached Boston on the 16th of May.
July 22, 1766. The "Pillar of Liberty" erected at Dedham by the Sons of Liberty to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act.
April 26, 1770. The Town of Cohasset was incorporated.
December 16, 1773. The "Boston Tea Party"-340 chests of tea emptied into the harbor at Griffin's Wharf.
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
March 7, 1774. The Boston Port Bill was passed by the British Parliament.
August 16, 1774. First meeting of the Suffolk Congress at Doty's Tavern, in what is now the Town of Canton.
September 6, 1774. Second meeting of the Congress at Richard Woodward's Tavern in Dedham.
September 9, 1774. The "Suffolk Resolves" were adopted at a meeting held at the house of Daniel Vose in Milton.
April 19, 1775. Battle of Lexington-beginning of the Revolutionary war.
June 15, 1775. George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the colonial forces.
June 17. 1775. Battle of Bunker Hill, in which Norfolk County men were engaged.
November, 1775. Dedham was made the shire town of Suffolk County, because Boston was then occupied by British soldiers.
March 4, 1776. Dorchester Heights occupied and works thrown up during the night by American troops.
March 17, 1776. Boston evacuated by the British.
March 20, 1776. The American army enters Boston amid great rejoicing of the citizens.
July 4, 1776. Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Con- gress at Philadelphia.
March 21, 1778. The Town of Franklin was incorporated.
June 10, 1778. The Town of Foxboro was incorporated.
June 15, 1780. State Constitution of Massachusetts adopted.
December 12, 1780. A convention met at Timothy Gay's Tavern in Dedham to discuss the advisability of dividing the County of Suffolk and establishing a new county.
February 25. 1783. The Town of Sharon was incorporated.
July 7. 1784. Dover was incorporated as a district.
February 6, 1788. Massachusetts ratified the Constitution of the United States by a convention in Boston, of which John Hancock was president.
February 22, 1792. The Town of Quincy was incorporated.
April 4, 1792. A regular stage route between Dedham and Boston established, making trips every two hours.
March 9, 1793. The Town of Randolph was incorporated.
March 26, 1793. Gov. John Hancock approved the act of the General Court dividing the County of Suffolk and erecting the County of Norfolk.
June 20, 1793. Norfolk County organized under the provisions of the act of March 26th.
September 24, 1793. First term of the Court of Common Pleas in Norfolk County was held in the Dedham meeting house. The Court of General Sessions of the Peace met the same day.
October 8, 1793. John Hancock died at Quincy.
, 1793. A postoffice was established at Dedham, with Jeremiah Shuttleworth as postmaster.
April 26, 1796. First Norfolk County court-house completed.
The Columbia Minerva, the first newspaper in Norfolk County, started at Dedham.
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
February 23, 1797. The Town of Canton was incorporated.
, 1802. Jason Fairbanks hanged at Connecticut Corner for the murder of Betsy Fales. This was the first legal execution in Norfolk County.
December 22, 1807. President Jefferson approved the Embargo Act, prohib- iting American vessels from leaving port.
June 18. 1812. Congress declared war against Great Britain.
July 1, 1817. President James Monroe in Dedham.
January 13, 1820. A ludicrous duel fought in Dedham between a painter and a barber.
August 23, 1824. Marquis de La Fayette passed through Dedham on his way from Providence to Boston.
June 17, 1825. Corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument laid by General La Fayette, "the nation's guest."
July 4, 1825. Corner-stone of Norfolk County's second court-house was laid.
July 4, 1826. John Adams died at his home in Quincy.
, 1826. First railroad in the United States built from the granite quarries at Quincy to the Neponset River, a distance of three miles.
February 20, 1827. Norfolk County's new court-house dedicated, Chief Jus- tice Parker delivering the address.
October 30, 1832. Bride's Tavern at Dedham and the stables of the Citizens Stage Company destroyed by fire.
, 1833. President Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren paid Dedham a short visit.
March 4, 1845. The old town cannon at Dedham-the "great gun" of King Philip's war-burst into fragments while firing a salute.
February 23, 1848. John Quincy Adams died at Washington, D. C., aged eighty years.
-, 1849. First fair of the Norfolk Agricultural Society. Daniel Webster and other prominent men were present and made speeches.
May 22, 1852. Sailors' Snug Harbor, for sick and disabled seamen, located at Quincy, was incorporated.
May 16, 1855. Norfolk County Sunday School Association was organized.
September 13. 1860. Corner-stone for the additions to the Norfolk County court-house was laid.
November 6, 1860. Abraham Lincoln elected President of the United States.
December 20, 1860. A state convention in South Carolina passed an ordi- nance of secession.
April 14, 1861. Maj. Robert Anderson evacuated Fort Sumter.
April 15, 1861. President Lincoln issued his proclamation calling for 75,000 men.
April 17, 1861. The Fourth Massachusetts left for the seat of war. In this regiment-the first to leave the state-were three companies from Norfolk County.
March 14, 1865. National Sailors' Home established at Quincy.
April 22, 1868. The Town of Hyde Park, then a part of Norfolk County, was incorporated.
September 29, 1868. Dedham Memorial Hall was dedicated.
February 23, 1870. The Town of Norfolk was incorporated.
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
August 18, 1871. Corner-stone of the first building of Wellesley College was laid.
February 23, 1872. The Town of Norwood was incorporated.
February 29, 1872. The Town of Holbrook was incorporated.
July 4. 1876. Celebrations in most of the Norfolk County towns to com- memorate the one-hundredth anniversary of American Independence.
November 6, 1876. Winslow Park at Norwood dedicated.
February 18, 1879. Milton town hall was dedicated.
February 21, 1880. The Town of Avon was incorporated.
December 25, 1880. The Phoenix House at Dedham destroyed by fire.
April 6, 1881. The Town of Wellesley was incorporated.
February 24, 1885. The Town of Millis was incorporated.
May 17, 1888. Quincy was incorporated as a city.
April 28, 1891. Temperance Hall at Dedham-Norfolk County's first court- house-was destroyed by fire.
June 20, 1895. The present Norfolk County court-house was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies.
April 2, 1897. West Dedham incorporated as town under the name of Westwood.
November 27, 1898. A destructive wind along the shore at Cohasset wrecked a number of vessels and several lives were lost.
April 4, 1905. The southern part of Wrentham was set off as the Town of Plainville.
April 6, 1917. Congress declared war against Germany.
May 18, 1917. President Wilson approved the act of Congress authorizing a draft.
June 5, 1917. Registration of all able-bodied males between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one years for the draft.
September 14, 1917. Weymouth almshouse burned and one of the inmates perished in the flames.
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