Aerial views of old Dedham accompanied by quotes from Steely Dan songs
Some screen shots from Bing maps. Looks like their photos need to be updated!
“And I’m never going back to my old school…”
St. Mary’s was closed for nearly as long as it was open. I graduated from there in 1973, the year it was announced that the school would close in 2 years. It was torn down in the fall of 2010.
“Everyone’s gone to the movies…”
The Showcase Cinemas stood at the corner of Elm St. and Route 1 for 35 years, yet the Frosty’s ice cream stand that occupied this spot for 10 years seems to be more fondly remembered, at least with Dedhamites of my generation.
“Bad sneakers and a Piña Colada my friend…”
The bad sneakers were issued to me during my unexceptional stint on the Dedham High track team. They were black canvas with white stripes, a big white rubber toe and crepe-like soles. We called them bobos.
The Piña Colada (my friend) is a reference to the drinking that went on at the Practice Field (upper right in photo) back in my high school days, although it’s more likely they were drinking Schlitz. Today a renovated Stone Park and new Avery School can be seen in this view. 35 years ago this month, I received my DHS diploma here.
Explore posts in the same categories: ...all the old familiar places, Dedham Then and Now
Dedham Tales 
June 16, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Hi Jim, what you have done with this blog is an unbelievable and useful. I bet it will be used for a long time when people want to see the history of our town. Jeanne and I had a lot of fun reading your work. Great stuff Jim !
Thank you hope all is well.
Steve
June 17, 2012 at 10:45 am
Thank you Steve- I hope to do more blogging this summer now that school is out and I have a little more time. There’s so much history out there, and new history being made each day, I’m glad to be able to share my interest and knowledge.
June 16, 2012 at 11:44 pm
Howdy James, Love the photographs(and your Email Updates !) of areas in Dedham plain ol’ ! And the history and changes WITH photos and a written byline.Verrrrry interesting Town Dedham is;the History and us character-players in the totality of Dedham History.I was a prime-time player/character(on and off the field/rink) with all my beautiful Dedham girlfriends and myself as a player-presence in Dedham Sports…specifically ice hockey,baseball and as a running back under Coach Sal Toti/Dedham Dynamo’s State Champion Pop Warner Football team 1961.Jack Dooley was my homeroom 7TH Grade Teacher and my Ice Hockey Coach @ DJHS at the time. My Aunt Peg(Margaret) Riley was legendary career-VP @ Dedham Institution For Savings(Retired & Deceased now) and listed in DHS Hall Of Fame for her support(Dedham Institution For Savings) of Dedhamites and DHS. My first marriage 1969 was to longtime former Boston Red Sox infielder Ted Lepcio’s niece and met Ted and Martha Lepcio @ Logan with my then wife/his niece Linda Mary Zebrowski.Ted’s older sister Mary(Lepcio) Zebrowski,a wonderful lady(also deceased),was my mother-in-law out of Tucson,Az. Best Regards Jim Parr ! From Tommy Riley just /North of The San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County,Ca. Aces/Over. P.S. There’s possibly alot of Dedham natives that wonder what ever happened to Tommy Riley.My mother died of cancer when I was 14.It split up my 3 younger sisters Denise,Kathy and Margie to live with our respective aunts and uncles.I was moved to gorgeous Scituate on the Atlantic mid-sophomore year @ DHS. GO-RED SOX !!!
June 17, 2012 at 10:43 am
Wow! Thanks for the comment and bio- you could have your own blog! I’m sure you Have lots of great Dedham memories- when was the last time you visited old Shiretown?
June 18, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I definitely remember going to Frosty’s as a kid, and being so bummed when they tore it down to build the theater…I think that was about the same time that many of the buildings in East Dedham got torn down as an urban renewal project…
Someone (don’t know who) put up a clip with photos on Youtube that I will post below that I think visitors to this blog will enjoy looking at…
September 7, 2012 at 11:31 am
That was posted on youtube my me. Joe Boncek from East Dedham. I took most of the pictures, but some of the postcards have been given to me or I scooped the from the ‘net.