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Medfield, Massachusetts

Medfield, Massachusetts
Town
Dwight-Derby House (1651)
Dwight-Derby House (1651)
Official seal of Medfield, Massachusetts
Seal
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Location in Norfolk County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°11′15″N 71°18′25″W / 42.18750°N 71.30694°W / 42.18750; -71.30694Coordinates: 42°11′15″N 71°18′25″W / 42.18750°N 71.30694°W / 42.18750; -71.30694
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Norfolk
Settled 1649
Incorporated 1651
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
Area
 • Total 14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
 • Land 14.5 sq mi (37.6 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 178 ft (54 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 12,024
 • Density 829.2/sq mi (319.8/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 02052
Area code(s) 508 / 774
FIPS code 25-39765
GNIS feature ID 0618323
Website http://www.town.medfield.net/

Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,024 according to the 2010 Census. Medfield is an affluent community about 17 miles southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 45-minute drive to Boston's financial district. Attractions include the Lowell Mason house, Hinkley Pond and the Peak House.

The territory that Medfield now occupies was, at the time of colonization, Neponset land. It was apparently sold by the Neponset leader Chickatabot to William Pynchon in the late 1620s. In 1633, however, Chickatabot died in a smallpox epidemic that decimated nearby Neponset, Narragansett and Pequot communities. Because Chickatabot and Pynchon's deal left no written deed, the Massachusetts General Court ordered "those Indians who were present when Chickatabot sold lands to Mr. Pynchon, or who know where they were, to set out the bounds thereof". Fifty years later, Chickatabot's grandson Josias Wampatuck brought a land claim against Medfield and the other towns created within the borders of the Chickatabot purchase, for which he received payment. Of those lands, Dedham was the first town formed.

Dedham was incorporated in 1636, and Medfield (New Dedham) was first settled in 1649, principally by people who relocated from the former town. The first 13 house lots were laid out on June 19, 1650. In May 1651, the town was incorporated by an act of the General Court as the 43rd town in Massachusetts.

The Rev. Ralph Wheelock is credited with the founding of Medfield. He was the first schoolmaster of the town's school established in 1655, and now has an elementary school named after him.

Half the town (32 houses, two mills, many barns and other buildings) was destroyed by Native Americans during King Philip's War in 1675. One house, known as the Peak House, was burnt in the war but was rebuilt shortly thereafter near downtown Medfield.


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