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A+History
History · Dedham

Dedham dates to 1635, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #52 of 283 in Massachusetts. What drives it

8 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and two historic districts with 244 buildings between them. Below: 13 old photos and papers, maps from 1885 on, and old-book passages.

1635founded
8on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
13old photos & papers
25famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Dedham’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Dedham began

When was Dedham founded?

1635

Dedham dates its founding to 1635 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1795.

2020 census: 25,364391 years

How historic is Dedham?

A+

More historic than 97% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1795.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Dedham’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Dedham is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #52 of 283 in Massachusetts. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.

A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Dedham’s overall grade.
Founding era1635, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194029.7% of homes (±3.3) · typical MA town 21.1% · U.S. 8.4%A−National Register8 listings, 255 historic buildings, 101 per 10,000 residents · typical MA town 46.0 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 97%
NewerOlder
Massachusetts towns of 2,500+ (283)Ahead of 82%

Massachusetts towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Massachusetts town has 46.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Dedham’s 101 sits near the middle of its state (63% of Massachusetts towns have fewer) while its 255 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1635.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Dedham’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Dedham Village Historic District takes in 234 historic buildings.Older than the countryEstablished in 1635, 141 years before the Declaration of Independence.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Dedham, and 8 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18946 editions of the USGS map, 1894 to 1985. Watch Dedham change.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

8 listings protect 255 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 2 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier.

places listed
8
National Historic Landmarks
2
Fairbanks House
historic buildings protected
255
each building in a district counts
first listed
1966
Fairbanks House
Joshua Lewis HouseAmes Schoolhouse, built 1898Brandeis University President's House, built 1916Endicott EstateDedham Village Historic DistrictMother Brook Lower Mill Pond Historic DistrictFairbanks House★Norfolk County Courthouse★
BuildingsDistricts★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival3
Greek Revival2
Georgian2
Vernacular1
Shingle Style1
Late 19th and Early 20th Century Movement1
★ Landmark
Fairbanks HouseBuilding
★ Landmark
Norfolk County CourthouseGreek Revival
Joshua Lewis HouseGeorgian
Ames SchoolhouseColonial Revival · Built 1898
Brandeis University President's HouseLate 19th and Early 20th Century Movement · Built 1916
Endicott EstateColonial Revival
Dedham Village Historic DistrictFederal
All 8 listings
Mother Brook Lower Mill Pond Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2025

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Timeline

Dedham, 1635 to 1972

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 17th century
  2. 1635
    FoundingDedham is established
  3. 18th century
  4. 1758Born hereFisher Ames is born here
  5. 1795Post officeThe Dedham post office opens
  6. 19th century
  7. 1878In the archiveSeal of
  8. 1880Post officeThe Walnut Hill post office opens
  9. 1886Post officeThe Ashcroft post office opens
  10. 1894On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  11. 1898BuiltAmes Schoolhouse is built
  12. 20th century
  13. 1901Post officeThe Walnut Hill post office closes
  14. 1901Post officeThe Ashcroft post office closes
  15. 1910In the archiveFloor plan of the Quincy School
  16. 1916BuiltBrandeis University President's House is built
  17. 1931Born hereConnie Hines is born here
  18. 1934Born hereJacques d'Amboise is born here
  19. 1940In the archiveLand Utilization Town of Dedham - DPLA - 7d7e2f58021f3bdb1adcf6ec95d8a64d
  20. 1960Born hereFreddie Roach is born here
  21. 1960LandmarkFairbanks House named a National Historic Landmark
  22. 1972LandmarkNorfolk County Courthouse named a National Historic Landmark
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Dedham’s post office has been open since 1795. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Dedham
1795–today
Walnut Hill
1880–1901
Ashcroft
1886–1901
Endicott
1886–1901
17901910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
AshcroftDedham IslandEast DedhamEndicottGreenlodgeOakdaleReadville ManorRiverdale
Gone or out of use
Ames SchoolhouseschoolDedham Post Officepost office
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Dedham
BrookdaleBrookdale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Dedham came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Dedham.

Read it all →

Settled in 1635 by people from Roxbury and Watertown, Dedham was incorporated in 1636. It became the county seat of Norfolk County when the county was formed from parts of Suffolk County on March 26, 1793. When the Town was originally incorporated, the residents wanted to name it "Contentment." The Massachusetts General Court overruled them and named the town after Dedham, Essex in England, where some of the original inhabitants were born. The boundaries of the town at the time stretched to the Rhode Island border.

Chapters17th century18th century19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Dedham, 1884–1912

Passages that mention Dedham, cut from the printed page as they were published.

but I have here the act of the Legislature of the Province of Massachusetts Bay incorporating the town: “Whereas the South part of the town of Dedham, within the county of Suffolk, is competently filled with inhabitants, who labor under great difficulties by their remoteness from the place of publi…
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men1884 · page 709Read the page →
Read the text

but I have here the act of the Legislature of the Province of Massachusetts Bay incorporating the town: “Whereas the South part of the town of Dedham, within the county of Suffolk, is competently filled with inhabitants, who labor under great difficulties by their remoteness from the place of public worship, etc., and have thereupon made their application to the said town of Dedham, and likewise addressed

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
cinct. This petition was accepted, and the precinct was incorporated into a district by the name of Dover, itants of the precinct pay all the taxes and debts due the town of Dedham; also, relinquish all the rights, titles, and interest in the work-house, school money, and all donations and public p…
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men1884 · page 248Read the page →
Read the text

cinct. This petition was accepted, and the precinct was incorporated into a district by the name of Dover, itants of the precinct pay all the taxes and debts due the town of Dedham; also, relinquish all the rights, titles, and interest in the work-house, school money, and all donations and public privileges in the town of Dedham ; also, that the selectmen of the town of Dedham give notice fifteen days at least before

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
thing handsomely In one minute." ^ Of course upon the completion of the Boston & Providence Railroad and the extension of the branch line to Dedham In 1 834, all this was changed, and the village of Dedham felt the change severely. Its former bustle and activity disappeared, for there was no Indust…
Tale of a Dedham tavern1912Read the page →
Read the text

thing handsomely In one minute." ^ Of course upon the completion of the Boston & Providence Railroad and the extension of the branch line to Dedham In 1 834, all this was changed, and the village of Dedham felt the change severely. Its former bustle and activity disappeared, for there was no Industry to take the place of the Stage-Coach.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
As stated before, the completion of the Boston and Providence Railroad and the extension of the line to Dedham sounded the death-knell of the Stage-Coach. As early as 183 1 the citizens of Dedham were seeking a way to introduce the Railroad to their village, for in that year *'a meeting of citizens…
Tale of a Dedham tavern1912Read the page →
Read the text

As stated before, the completion of the Boston and Providence Railroad and the extension of the line to Dedham sounded the death-knell of the Stage-Coach. As early as 183 1 the citizens of Dedham were seeking a way to introduce the Railroad to their village, for in that year *'a meeting of citizens in this vicinity was held at Alden's Hotel at which a committee of 5 was chosen to examine a

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

By decade

Dedham, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s1 item
Seal of1878Seal of
1910s–1940s2 items
Floor plan of the Quincy School1910Floor plan of the Quincy SchoolMapLand Utilization Town of Dedham - DPLA - 7d7e2f58021f3bdb1adcf6ec95d8a64d1940Land Utilization Town of Dedham - DPLA - 7d7e2f58021f…
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown10 to date
Books from the Library of Congress (IA historicaladdres01have)Date?Books from the Library of Congress (IA historicaladdr…BookBooks from the Library of Congress (IA historicaladdres02have)Date?Books from the Library of Congress (IA historicaladdr…BookBooks from the Library of Congress (IA historyoffirstch00lams)Date?Books from the Library of Congress (IA historyoffirst…BookReflectionsDate?ReflectionsBookThe history of Dedham : from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827Date?The history of Dedham : from the beginning of its set…BookThe history of Dedham : from the beginning of its settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827Date?The history of Dedham : from the beginning of its set…BookThe history of Dedham, from the beginning of its settlement in September, 1635 to May, 1827Date?The history of Dedham, from the beginning of its sett…BookThe History of Dedham: From the Beginning of Its Settlement, in September 1635, to May 1827Date?The History of Dedham: From the Beginning of Its Sett…Book"Old Dedham days and ways";Date?"Old Dedham days and ways";BookAn alphabetical abstract of the record of deaths, in the town ofDate?An alphabetical abstract of the record of deaths, in …Book
Today4 recent
MA Route 109 westbound2023MA Route 109 westboundAerial view of Dedham Corporate Center and Route 128, July 20192019Aerial view of Dedham Corporate Center and Route 128,…MBTA route 33 bus at River and Milton, May 20182018MBTA route 33 bus at River and Milton, May 2018Dedham Community Theatre2010Dedham Community Theatre
On the map

Dedham on the map, 1894 to 1985

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Dedham. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Dedham on the 1894 USGS mapDedham on the 1936 USGS mapDedham on the 1946 USGS mapDedham on the 1958 USGS mapDedham on the 1970 USGS mapDedham on the 1985 USGS map1894Dedham sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Dedham.

Every building

Dedham, building by building, 1885–1917

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Dedham fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 11885Sheet 1 of 6
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Seal of
Retake this viewSeal of, 1878

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Dedham’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

25 famous people were born in Dedham

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Fisher AmesAmerican politician · b. 1758
Connie HinesAmerican actress · b. 1931
Freddie RoachAmerican boxer and trainer · b. 1960
Jacques d'AmboiseAmerican dancer and choreographer · b. 1934
Gavin MannionAmerican bicycle racer · b. 1991
LeBaron Bradford ColtAmerican politician · b. 1846
Help out

Start Dedham’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Dedham’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo10 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewSeal of: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Canton7 historic placesB+Needham13 historic placesA−Boston324 historic placesA+Westwood2 historic placesA

Questions about Dedham’s history

What year was Dedham founded?

In 1635, according to Wikidata. Dedham’s post office opened in 1795.

How does Dedham rank for history?

Dedham is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #52 of 283 in Massachusetts. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Dedham?

8 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 6 buildings, among them the Fairbanks House (a National Historic Landmark since 1960), and 2 historic districts, the Dedham Village Historic District and the Mother Brook Lower Mill Pond Historic District, with 244 contributing buildings. 255 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Dedham?

30% of Dedham’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 21% for a Massachusetts town; the median home was built in 1956.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (17), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (8), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.