Anyone who has spent any time walking the paths of Wilson Mountain off Route 135 will recognize this forlorn chimney standing on a small hill a short distance from the parking area. Some of you (myself included) will remember a time when a log cabin stood on the site, and you may have even had some nighttime adventures here. I’ve been researching this part of Dedham recently, and have discovered some amazing facts, the first of which I’ll share in the form of this short item from the Dedham Transcript of December 27, 1924.
Some of the logs still remain on the groundYou can see the impressions of the logs that once made up the walls of the cabin
This is the bridge spanning the Charles River at Lyons Street (Dedham) and Greendale Avenue (Needham). The plaque of the state seal can be found on the southwest bridge abutment (just beyond the guardrail on the left in the above photo). There has been a bridge at this site on the river since at least the 1740s; this particular bridge was built in 1879 and is named for a 19th century landowner, Elisha Lyon. At one time Common Street intersected with Lyons St. just south of the bridge, but was dead-ended with the construction of Rte. 128.
Section of Needham (pink) and Dedham from an 1858 map. Common Street runs from the lower right by the property marked D. O’Brien to Lyons Street just south of the bridge. You can see the property marked E. Lyon on the Needham side by the bridge. Also notice the property of J. Wilson, from which Wilson Mountain gets its name.
There is a small parking area off Lyons Street and a walking path that travels under Rte.128 and connects with trails behind the Newbridge on the Charles complex. For those of you who have only glimpsed this picturesque spot while speeding down the southbound lane of 128, it’s worth a trip to truly appreciate its scenic charm.
Congratulations to Michael Nee for answering correctly! Thanks to all who participated.
View of the bridge from the Dedham bank of the Charles.The path under 128.
I am James L. Parr. I grew up on Tower St. and went to St. Mary's and Dedham High (Class of 1977). I teach school in Framingham and co-wrote a book of Framingham history, which led me to write a book of weird Dedham history called Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales from Shiretown. That book led to this blog. To order your own copy of the book, e-mail me at jameslparr@yahoo.com
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