Dedham Tales

Transcript, 1963

I’m pretty sure that Dedham is the only town in the U.S. with a town ordinance that reads like this:

“No person shall set fire to or burn, or cause to be moved through any way or street of the Town, any waste material, paper, wood or any inflammable substance on any wagon, cart, buggy, push–cart or on any vehicle, with the intention of setting fire to or burning same on any way or street of the Town.”

The bylaw was adopted in 1959 in response to the resurrection of a dangerous, unique, and beloved Dedham tradition- the burning of old farm wagons in Oakdale Square on either “the night before” of July 3rd, or the night of the 4th itself. Beginning some time in the early 20th century (my research found the oldest recorded reference to be 1922) thousands of people would gather in the square to witness the event. In the 20’s and 30’s, police and fire officials merely watched and made sure nobody got hurt. The spectacle usually began at midnight when some brave youth would climb the roof of the Good Shepherd Church and ring the bell.

The wagons came from local farms in Dedham and surrounding towns. As authentic farm wagons became scarcer, teenagers would make their own and hide them in back yards and garages until the big night. In 1938, no wagons were found or made, so an old outhouse had to do. Usually the fires got so intense the windows of the stores in the square would crack and the tar underneath would melt. The last Oakdale Square burning was in 1963, when revellers threw rocks and full cans of beer at police and firefighters when they arrived on the scene. After that the burnings disappeared for a few years before the tradition was revived in the Manor. After an explosion and the melting a vinyl-sided house in 1990, police chief Dennis Teehan finally put an end to the burnings.

1963 was a pretty memorable 4th of July in Dedham. On the positive side, 40.000 people turned out for the annual parade which featured 20 bands and some 5,000 marchers. The town’s fireworks display was described as “the best ever.” However, the rowdy element put a damper on the festivities with their actions; hurling rocks and bottles at firemen, ignoring police directions, and tossing cherry bombs into the crowd, one of which landed on the parade float carrying Miss Massachusetts, who abandoned the float for the safety of a car for the remainder of the parade. Ah, the good old days.

I remember hearing about the wagon burnings when I was a kid, but I never witnessed one. After the publication of my Dedham book, the wagon burnings was the most popular topic brought up at book signings and talks.  Maybe you have some more tales to add to the collection? Pass them along and have a Glorious Fourth!