The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1800 to 1899 saw growth and change come to the town. In fact, the town changed as much during the first few decades of the 19th century as it did in all of its previous history.

Having been named Dedham shiretown of the newly formed Norfolk County in 1793, the town got an influx of new residents and visitors. This growth was aided by new turnpikes and railroads, with taverns popping up to serve travelers. In the 19th century many former farms became businesses and homes for those who commuted into Boston. The population of the town more than tripled in this period.

The Town government expanded dramatically with the institution of the public library, the police department, fire department, and others. St. Mary's Church was established, with William B. Gould doing the plaster work. The congregation at St. Paul's constructed a number of churches, and First Church suffered a schism. A number of schools were established, including Dedham High School. The Town was central to two major court cases, the Fairbanks Case and the Dedham Case.

The "scenery" of the town was described as "varied and picturesque" with "an appearance of being well kept." Several new towns broke away, including Dover, Westwood, and Norwood.

Local government The Dedham Public Library was established in 1872 and first occupied rented space at the corner of Court Street and Norfolk Street. It built a permanent home in 1886 at the corner of Church and Norfolk Streets using funds left by Hannah Shuttleworth. The building, made of Dedham Granite and trimmed with red sandstone, opened in 1888. The Dedham Infirmary, also known as the Poor Farm, built a home on Elm Street in 1898. It closed in February 1954.

The Dedham Water Company was chartered in 1882. Gas streetlights were introduced in 1869 and were followed by electric lights in 1890.

The first police officers were appointed in 1876 and worked each day from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. The police department was originally housed on the first floor of Memorial Hall. In 1894, it was proposed that the police and fire departments be housed in the same building, but this did take place until 2023.

Fire Department

A fire truck made by Paul Revere was purchased by a group of citizens and donated to the Town in 1800 as "a public utility and a very great security against the calamities of fire." It was known as Hero No. 1. It was stationed at the Connecticut Corner firehouse. A second hand tub, the Good Intent No. 2, was purchased in 1802 and stationed in the central village. The third engine, the Enterprise, was purchased in 1826.

In 1831, Town Meeting purchased eight more engines, including the Niagara and Water Witch. These two, together with the Hero, Good Intent, and Enterprise, were all located in the First Parish. The first steam engine was purchased in 1872.

Each engine had its own company of men attached to it and keen was the rivalry existing between the organizations. The Norfolk House was often selected for the annual meetings and dinners of the different companies for the next 40 years.

A firehouse in East Dedham was constructed in 1846 on Milton Street near the Old Stone Mill. It was used until 1897, when the firehouse on Bussey Street was constructed. Hose Number 3 was purchased by the town for the Milton Street station in 1891 and then moved to the Bussey Street location. That building also housed a supply wagon.

The central fire house was built at the corner of Washington and Bryant Streets. It housed Steamer Number 1, Hose Number 1, and Hook and Ladder Number 1. Both Hose Number 1, which carried 1,000' of hose, and Hook and Ladder Number 1, were drawn by two horses.

Selectmen Selectmen were elected by neighborhood, not town-wide; East Dedham was not afforded their own selectman.

Year first elected Selectman Total years served Notes1813 Eliphalet Pond Jr.

Town Clerks

Year first elected Town Clerk Total years served Notes 1812 Josiah Daniell 3 1815 Richard Ellis 29 1824 John Bullard 1 1845 Jonathan H. Cobb 3 Charles H. Farrington

First townhouse After the new courthouse was constructed in 1827, the old courthouse was sold to Harris Monroe and Erastus Worthington. The pair speculated that the Town may want to use it as a town hall, and so they dragged it south down Court Street to a new lot. The Town decided to build an entirely new structure, however, on Bullard Street in 1828. By 1858, however, a town committee was complaining that "the present town house is neither in location, size, or style, sufficient to meet the reasonable requirements of the town." It was too far away from the center village and too ugly they said, and though there were over 1,000 voters in the town the building could not accommodate more than 275. Town meetings were frequently crowded and confused in the townhouse, and it was difficult to hear speakers and determine votes.

Memorial Hall

A committee decided that the first town hall was inadequate, but it remained standing for an additional eight years. Eventually, in 1867, it was decided that a new building should be erected to both house the town offices and to memorialize those who died in the Civil War. The firm of Ware and Van Brunt was hired to design the building, and they produced a "supremely Victorian plan" that recalled the "provincial town halls of England in outline and design."

Though Town Meeting had appropriated virtually unlimited funds for the project, a town committee tried to save money by cutting out several elements. The changes left it with a slightly unfinished appearance from the outside and an interior "utterly barren of all decent conveniences." It was described as Dedham's "monument alike to her dead soldiers and to living stupidity."

Brookdale Cemetery

For nearly 250 years after it was established, Old Village Cemetery was the only cemetery in Dedham. Seeing a need for greater space, the Annual Town Meeting of 1876 established a committee to look into establishing a new cemetery. Town Meeting accepted the committee's recommendation on October 20, 1877, and appropriated $8,150 to purchase more than 39 acres of land to establish Brookdale Cemetery.

County, state, and federal government In the 1812 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Dedham voters cast 299 votes for Democratic-Republican Party Elbridge Gerry and 172 for Federalist candidate Caleb Strong. The Democratic-Republican Party gained 46 votes over the previous election but the Federalists gained 56. During the campaign, Dedham's Democrats held rallies to get out the vote on April 1, 1812, at Marsh's Tavern and April 2, 1812, at Lem Ellis' Tavern. All parts of town represented at the rallies except the South Parish.

By 1836, Dedham "had long been a focus for the vigorous political activity popularly associated with the Jacksonian era."

New courthouse

When it became apparent that the old County Courthouse was out of date, the Norfolk County Commissioners ordered a new one to be built. The old courthouse would become Temperance Hall.

The Commissioners originally were seeking a utilitarian building that would be fireproof and safe to store important documents. Local boosters, however, wanted a building that aligned with the town's rapidly improving self-image. The commissioners were persuaded that

something more was required... than what was barely necessary; that... the state of this County, rapidly advancing in wealth and prosperity, required a liberal and judiciously expenditure for public accommodation, and that acquiring a taste for the fine arts was intimately connected with a refinement of manners and even with moral sentiment; that a magnificent temple of Justice would inspire an elevation of mind and contribute to cherish those feelings of reverence for the administration of the laws which it is so desirable to cultivate in a free community; the as the situation was in the most handsome and conspicuous place in the town, the building should be made in accordance with the architectural spirit of the times and comporting with the dignity and taste of the citizens of the County.

The land for the courthouse, across the street from the existing one, was purchased from Frances Ames for $1,200. Masonic ceremonies, bell ringing and cannon fire accompanied the laying of the cornerstone on July 4, 1825. It was designed by Solomon Willard and built in the Greek style with pillared porticoes. Construction was completed in February 1827.

From the outside, it was an attractive building, but it was not a comfortable place to work. The only water was provided by a well on Court Street, and it did not have an adequate heating system. One employee complained that it was "barren and destitute of every convenience, demanded for health, comfort and decency."

Renovations in 1854 added gas lights to the building and running water from an on-site well. Six years later, in 1860, the building was fireproofed to protect county records. A group of citizens petitioned the commissioners, asking them not to make any structural changes for fear of ruining the exterior aesthetics of the building. Despite this, the Commission decided to extend the north front of the building, to add wings on either side, and add a large dome to the roof. Following plans developed by Gridley J. F. Bryant, the building was enlarged again between 1892 and 1895 to its present H-shaped configuration, adding wings to the southern facade that matched those added in 1863 to the north.

Representation in the General Court Year Representative Representative Representative Senator Notes 1800 Isaac Bullard 1801 Isaac Bullard Ebenezer Fisher 1802 Ebenezer Fisher 1803 Ebenezer Fisher 1804 Ebenezer Fisher 1805 Ebenezer Fisher John Endicott 1806 Ebenezer Fisher John Endicott Isaac Bullard 1807 John Endicott Isaac Bullard Samuel H. Deane 1808 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards 1809 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards 1810 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards 1811 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards 1812 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards 1813 John Endicott Samuel H. Deane Jonathan Richards James Richardson 1814 John Endicott Erastus Worthington Abner Ellis 1815 Erastus Worthington Samuel H. Deane Abner Ellis 1816 John Endicott William Ellis Abner Ellis 1817 Abner Ellis William Ellis Timothy Gay Jr. 1818 William Ellis 1819 William Ellis 1820 William Ellis 1821 Edward Dowse 1822 John W. Ames 1823 William Ellis Abner Ellis Pliny Bingham 1824 William Ellis Pliny Bingham Josiah S. Fisher 1825 Richard Ellis 1826 Richard Ellis 1827 Richard Ellis Horace Mann 1828 Richard Ellis Horace Mann 1829 Richard Ellis Horace Mann 1830 Richard Ellis 1831 Theron Metcalf (in May) Richard Ellis (in November) Horace Mann (in November) 1832 Theron Metcalf John W. Ames 1833 Theron Metcalf Richard Ellis John Morse 1834 John Endicott John Morse Daniel Covell 1835 William Ellis Daniel Marsh John Dean III 1836 Joshua Fales John Morse Daniel Covell 1837 Joshua Fales John Morse Daniel Covell 1838 Joshua Fales 1839 Joshua Fales 1840 Joshua Fales 1841 Merrill D. Ellis Ezra W. Wilkinson 1842 Merrill D. Ellis 1843 Merrill D. Ellis 1844 Joseph Day 1845 Joseph Day 1846 Edward L. Keyes 1851 Ezra W. Wilkinson Edward L. Keyes 1852 Ezra W. Taft Edward L. Keyes 1856 Ezra W. Wilkinson 1859 Ezra W. Taft 1872 Augustus Bradford Endicott 1873 Augustus Bradford Endicott 1874 Augustus Bradford Endicott 1892 George S. Winslow William Francis Ray

Military and wars Bursting of the Town cannon