Dedham Tales

Well, that’s not exactly true. You see, Peggy Lawton is not a real person. But those delicious, fudgy brownies that are ubiquitous in supermarkets and convenience stores across New England were first introduced right here in Dedham Square.

In September 1945, husband and wife Peggy and Lawton Wolf opened a restaurant called The Sampler on Washington Street near the corner of School Street. Within a short time, demand for Peggy’s homemade fudge brownies became so great that the couple decided to leave the restaurant business and open their own baked goods company. They combined their first names to create Peggy Lawton Kitchens, and added several varieties of cookies to the lineup alongside the popular brownies. The company operated in East Dedham and Hyde Park before locating to Walpole in 1961, where the beloved treats are still produced under the supervision of Peggy and Lawton’s son William Wolf.

If this story leaves you with a craving for more sweet history, be sure to check out the Dedham Museum’s first offering in our Spring Speaker series. This Wednesday, February 18, author Susan Bregman will share tales of iconic local goodies featured in her book “New England Sweets: Doughnuts, Bonbons and Whoopie Pies.”

Free to members; $10 for non-members (pay at the door).

The Speaker Series is held at the Museum, 612 High Street, Dedham, MA, and begins at 7:00 p.m.

https://www.dedhammuseum.org/speaker-webinar/spring-speaker-series-february-2026/

This entry was posted on February 17, 2026 at 10:35 am and is filed under ...all the old familiar places, Dedham Then and Now. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Dedham Museum and Archive, New England Sweets, Peggy Lawton Brownies, The Sampler Restaurant