One of the stories listed in this table of contents from the May 26, 1952 edition of Life magazine is about a group of Dedham residents. The article and accompanying photographs made minor celebrities of the group for a while, and you can read all about in my next post…
WARNING! If you go into the Town Forest, do a very thorough TICK CHECK when you come out. I found one of the little buggers clinging to my stomach the day after my adventure. I went to the doctor and I’m taking all the precautions one should to prevent Lyme disease, but what an annoying ending to an otherwise enjoyable day.
So here are some of the interesting features of the Town Forest:
Stone Walls
Plenty of meandering stone walls, indicating that this land was once farmed, perhaps as far back as the 1700’s. More research into who once owned the land to come.
An Access Road
This gravel access road runs from the northbound lanes of 128 to the southbound lanes. It is gated, but the gates were open, so I suppose some foolhardy motorist could actually pull in here from the fast lane of 128.
Large Rock formations
These rock formations explain why the area is referred to on old maps as “Ye Rockes.” It also explains why 128 had to be routed around the area, creating this large forested island in the middle of the highway.
A weird stage/altar/picnic table/foundation thing
Your guess is as good as mine. Any theories?
The remains of an exercise trail
In 1977, fellow DHS senior John MacDonald set up an exercise course in the forest for his Eagle Scout project. Several of the signs can still be found nailed to trees; a little rusty, some with bullet holes, others bent to interesting angles.
Despite its unusual location, I think the Dedham Town Forest is a great place for people to hike and explore. Perhaps another prospective Eagle Scout could take it on as a project- establishing trails, promoting its existence, and, if possible, wiping out the tick population!
© Damianos Photography
Here I am entering the town forest. Yes, that is Route 128 North to my right; the southbound lane is to my left just out of view. So that means… the town forest is on the median strip?
Yes it is. The gate I am entering is located on the newly reconstructed Washington Street overpass, across from Mary Hartigan’s…etc. The land was taken by the state in the 1950’s when Rte. 128 was built. In 1972, State Representative Charlie McGowan completed legislation that deeded the land back to the town. He hoped that trails would be developed on the property and that residents would use it for hiking and picnicking.
My feeling is that it never really caught on as a recreational area, and my friend Jim believes that some people found a more nefarious use for the isolated spot (see comment on yesterday’s post).
The fence runs about a thousand feet down a narrow corridor, and the land then opens up into a much wider woods. Even with the trees still bare, once you are inside the woods you don’t really see the highway; but you can certainly hear it. Check out the satellite view on Google maps (which does label it as the Dedham Town Forest). It really is a pretty big piece of land, extending all the way to Rte 109. So the next time someone tells you to “go play in traffic,” you’ll know where to go.
Next post: What I found in the Town Forest, and what found me…
Today I celebrated the Vernal Equinox by hiking in the Dedham Town Forest for a few hours. This 71 acre woods has rolling hills, old stone walls, vernal pools, rocky outcrops and a meandering stream. It is located in the most unlikely of places; you probably drive by it all the time and don’t even realize it’s there. DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET TO THE DEDHAM TOWN FOREST? More details to follow…
This is a very cool photograph, taken from the top of the court-house on High Street, looking east. Many of the buildings in this view are long gone, such as Memorial Hall and the train station, both built of Dedham granite quarried nearby. Sticking out of the trees in the background just right of center is the water tower that stood on Walnut St. until recently.
St. Mary’s Church is quite an imposing structure, seen in the back left. The large white building to the left of the church was the estate of Thomas Barrows, who once ran the operations of the Norfolk Manufacturing Company at the Stone Mill in East Dedham. The Barrows home was torn down in 1959 and became the large St. Mary’s parking lot. The stone wall that once bordered the estate (also made of Dedham granite) can still be seen along High St.
Zoom in on the photo and see what other interesting things you can find; you might find yourself lost in old Shiretown for hours!
My sister got these for everyone in the family. It pretty much sums up the whole experience.
George and Abe. Two of our most famous, accomplished, and popular presidents. Both of whom visited Shiretown. How many towns can claim that such important figures in U.S. history spent time within their borders, and be able to point out the exact place and time of the visit?
Washington spent the night of April 4, 1776 at the home of Samuel Dexter. Then General Washington was on his way to New York after having successfully driven the British out of Boston. The house still stands on High St., although it has been much altered over the years. There is another Shiretown tale associated with this house which involves the Battle of Bunker Hill, a suicide, a curious soldier, and a rotting corpse. That tale will be told here at a later date.
Just down the street from the Dexter House is the Community House, also known as the Judge Samuel Haven House. It was here that Illinois Congressman Abraham Lincoln was entertained for lunch on September 20, 1848, while traveling New England in support of presidential candidate Zachary Taylor. Later that day, Lincoln spoke at Temperance Hall on Court St., before catching a train at the station that once stood in the Square where the town parking lot is now located. Below is a map commemorating Lincoln’s Massachusetts visit. See if you can find details of the Dedham trip on the map!
Other presidential visitors to Dedham include Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams.
Today it’s Joe’s American Bar and Grill. When I worked there for a month as a sophomore in high school in 1975 it was Boraschi’s Villa, and the decorative sign from that incarnation can still be seen in the main dining room of the Route 1 eatery. But in 1978 it was J.C. Hillary’s, and for several days during the Great Blizzard it became home to stranded motorists who trudged up from their abandoned cars on Route 128. Over 500 motorists stayed at both Hilary’s and the Showcase Cinema across the street, which became a Red Cross shelter for several days. Another 20 refugees from Route 128 made their way to the Caulfield home on Vincent Rd. where they were given shelter.
The lobby of the old Showcase Cinema with stranded motorists
Roads were closed by order of Governor Dukakis, and both state and local police were busy handing out citations to people who disobeyed the order.
School in Dedham was closed for 7 days, with Dukakis declaring that the days did not have to be made up, so Dedham students only went to school 176 days that year.
A portion of the roof of the Dedham Mall collapsed over Cummins, a women’s clothing store.
During the storm burglars broke into The House of Sports on Eastern Ave. and made off with $5000 worth of sporting goods, including the toboggans that they used to transport their plunder.
And I walked around with my little camera, taking fuzzy pictures of the Tower St. neighborhood.
Below: The house on Tower St. after the Blizzard of ’78. The bottom picture was taken after another memorable storm, the April Fool’s Day Blizzard of 1997.
This Dedham eatery may be long gone, but it figures in my next tale of the Blizzard of ’78. Do you know where you can find this remnant of the past in present-day Dedham?
Rte. 128 at East St.
Driving around the narrowed streets of Dedham and listening to the news stories of buildings collapsing under the weight of snow naturally causes one to think back to the Blizzard of ’78, which occurred 33 years ago this week. Now 33 years isn’t all that long ago, yet I find it hard to recall many specific details about the storm. Some of my recollections include: walking out to Rte. 128 near East St. to look at all the abandoned cars- people walking from Roche Bros. in Westwood pulling sleds with groceries-watching some guy in a tiny jeep try to plow Tower St. (he finally gave up and left the jeep there in front of the mountainous pile of snow he’d created).
I was working at Wrangler Wranch in the Mall at the time, and I remember some time after the blizzard getting a check from the state for the missed work days due to the state of emergency that kept the Mall closed. What are your Blizzard of ’78 memories?
Etna Rd. and Capen School
LATER THIS WEEK- Blizzard Tales from Dedham!
Jim Parr
Dedham Tales 