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The history of Dedham, Massachusetts from 1793 to 1999 begins with the naming of Dedham as the shiretown of the newly formed Norfolk County. Being named county seat brought an influx of new residents and visitors to town and Dedham experienced rapid growth with the new turnpikes and railroads. The Town was central to three major court cases, the Fairbanks Case, the Dedham Case, and the world famous Sacco and Vanzetti Case. ==Shire town== When Norfolk County was formed in 1793 Dedham was named as the shire town and "an influx of lawyers, politicians, and people on county business forced the town to abandon its traditional insularity and its habitual distrust of newcomers."〔 A new county courthouse was built by Solomon Willard, the same architect who built the Bunker Hill Monument. When it was remodeled in 1863 a dome was added, but it was too large and had to be removed. A new dome sits atop the building today.〔 One of the new residents of Dedham was Horace Mann, who lived for several years at the Norfolk House and opened a law office in December 1823.〔 He soon "became interested in town affairs, was often chosen Moderator of the town meetings, and was an early candidate for office."〔 Mann served as Dedham's Representative in General Court from 1827 to 1832 as well as on the School Committee.〔〔 In only his first year in Dedham he was invited to deliver the Independence Day address. In his speech he "outlined for the first time the basic principles that he would return to in his subsequent public statements, arguing that education, intelligent use of the elective franchise, and religious freedom are the means by which American liberties are preserved."〔 Former President and then Congressman John Quincy Adams later read the address and "expressed great confidence in the future career of Mr. Mann."〔 Turnpikes, including those linking Boston and Providence and Dedham and Hartford, were laid through town during the first few years of the 19th century. Inns and taverns sprung up along the new roads as more than 600 coaches would pass through Dedham each day on their way to Boston or Providence.〔 The stable behind Gay's Tavern could hold over 100 horses and eight horse teams could be switched within two minutes.〔 In 1802 a local mason named Martin Marsh built his brick home at what is today 19 Court Street and was then right on one of the new turnpikes. He saw the traffic flowing daily past his house and quickly turned his home into a tavern. His establishment, the Norfolk House, like the other inns and taverns in Dedham at that time, were bustling with the arrival of both the turnpikes and the courts. He maintained the tavern until 1818, and then sold it to Moses Gray and Francis Alden. It was this partnership that hosted President Andrew Jackson for lunch as he and his entourage passed through town in 1832.〔 The Norfolk House was also a hotbed for Republican politics in its day. It competed with the Democratic Phoenix House, so named because it rebuilt after having been destroyed by arson, which stood at the site of the present day Knights of Columbus building on the corner of Washington and High streets in Dedham Square. The proprietors of the two establishments generally stayed away from each other but "every once in a while they slipped and then there would be a short burst of newspaper venom."〔 A young Congressman named Abraham Lincoln gave a speech at the Norfolk House〔 on September 20, 1848 while in Massachusetts to campaign for Zachary Taylor.〔 He appeared uncomfortable as he arrived but
The Norfolk House was also the site where "on June 4, 1810, in an expression of public outrage, a number of Dedham citizens assembled" and founded the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. Today the "Society is the oldest continually existing horse thief apprehending organization in the United States, and one of Dedham’s most venerable social organizations."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1793–1999」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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