Dwight-Derby House
Encyclopedia
The Dwight-Derby House is at 7 Frairy Street in Medfield, Massachusetts
Medfield, Massachusetts
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....

. It was built in 1652 by Timothy and Mary Dwight. The house is one of the top ten oldest homes in the United States. The town bought the house in 1996, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 in 2002.

History

In 1651, Timothy and Mary Dwight decided to move from Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...

 to Medfield, Massachusetts
Medfield, Massachusetts
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....

. (Within seven years Timothy's father John, who had come to Dedham from England, was dead.) Timothy and Mary Dwight were granted a 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) lot on the north of town near the center. The lot went from North Street to Vinald Road to Dale Street and back to North. They located their house on the north side of Frairy Street overlooking Meeting House Pond. They built their house in 1651.

The second family who owned and occupied the house, for another four generations, was the Derby family. Starting with John Derby, grandson of Elias Hasket Derby, of Salem, Massachusetts, America's first millionaire.

Today

Today, the Dwight–Derby House sits on a half acre lot in its original location overlooking Meeting House Pond.

Shortly after the Dwight-Derby House was bought by the town of Medfield in 1996, the Friends of the Dwight-Derby House, Inc. was formed to restore, manage and share its historical significance with the community. Thanks to generous donations, grants from the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Trust, the house has been able to endure structural and exterior repairs.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK