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History[edit]

Shortly after the Constitution of Massachusetts was adopted on October 25, 1780, a number of towns in Suffolk County, of which Dedham was a part, elected delegates to a convention to decide upon some policy relative to the division of the county.[1] The convention met at Gay's Tavern in Dedham on December 12, 1780, and adopted a resolution to the effect that the towns of Bellingham, Dedham, Foxborough, Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Needham, Stoughton, Stoughtonham, Walpole, and Wrentham, along with the Middlesex County towns of Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, and Sherborn ought to be formed into a new county with Medfield as the shiretown.[1] The Great and General Court did not look favorably upon the resolution, however, and Norfolk County was not created until 1793, with Dedham as the shiretown.

Norfolk County, Massachusetts was created on March 26, 1793, by legislation signed by Governor John Hancock. Most of the towns were originally part of Suffolk County, Massachusetts. The towns of Dorchester and Roxbury were part of Norfolk County when it was created but, as Boston annexed each town, they became part of Suffolk County again, leaving Brookline separated from the rest of Norfolk County. Hingham and Hull were originally part of the Norfolk County legislation but petitioned to remain in Suffolk County and in June 1793 their removal to Norfolk County was repealed, making Cohasset an exclave. In 1803, they were moved into Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Norfolk County is the birthplace of four Presidents of the United States (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush), resulting in the moniker "County of Presidents."[2]

Jails[edit]

Following the creation of Norfolk County, Gay's Tavern was the site of a Court of General Sessions on August 25, 1794.[3] They ordered that the committee on buildings proceed with collecting materials for building a jail.[3] On the last day of September following this order, the court accepted from Timothy Gay[a] the gift of a parallelogram lot of land to erect the Norfolk County Jail next to his tavern.[3][5] [6] It was replaced by a new Norfolk County Jail in 1817.[7][8]

The two story stone building was built in 1817 and was 33' square.[7][8] Part of the jail was torn down in 1851 to erect a central, octagonal portion and two wings.[7][8] It resulted in a building with the shape of a Latin cross, and featured Gothic Revival windows.[8] The three tiers of cells radiated out like spokes from the central guardroom.[8] There were two hangings in the central rotunda: George C. Hersey on August 8, 1862 and James H. Costley on June 25, 1875.[9]

Inmates were housed in the jail until 1992 when the Norfolk County Correctional Center was opened in 1992.[7] A court forced the closure after 13 inmates escaped in 1989.[9] There were at least 27 break outs during the prison's history.[8]

The current Norfolk County Correctional Center is located on the median of Route 128 in Dedham. The facility has 502 beds and opened in 1992.[10]

Courthouses[edit]

After the creation of the county, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions of the Peace first met in Dedham's meetinghouse.[5] Nathaniel Ames was chosen as the clerk of both and they met for the first time on September 23.[5][b]

When the court met on January 7, 1794, it was so cold in the building, which lacked any sort of heating, that they moved to the Woodward Tavern across the street.[5] The Anglican Church in town had also offered their building, but it was in such a state of disrepair that the offer was not accepted.[5] The First Church and Parish in Dedham then offered a piece of land on their Little Common, and a new courthouse was ordered to be constructed.[5] Construction was sluggish, however, and the delays frustrated Ames.[5]

The court was still sitting in the meetinghouse in 1794 but the new courthouse was completed in 1795.[11][12] It was found to be too small, however, and the ceilings were so low as to stifle people in the courtrooms.[13] Charles Bulfinch was hired in 1795 to design a turret for the building and Paul Revere was commissioned to cast a bell.[13][14][c]

When it became apparent that the Courthouse was out of date, the County Commissioners ordered a new one to be built.[15] They originally were seeking a utilitarian building that would be fireproof and safe to store important documents.[15] Local boosters, however, wanted a building that aligned with the town's rapidly improving self-image.[16]

The land for the courthouse, across the street from the existing one, was purchased from Frances Ames for $1,200.[15][12] Ames later refused to sell the lot to the east at an asking price of $400, however.[15] Masonic ceremonies, bell ringing and cannon fire accompanied the laying of the cornerstone on July 4, 1825.[15] In 1827, the old courthouse was sold at public auction.[12]

The new building was designed by Solomon Willard[15][17] and was dedicated on February 20, 1827.[12][15] It was a basic rectangular granite-walled structure, 48' by 98' and two stories tall,[12] with Greek-temple porticoes at either end.[17][15] Each 10' portico was supported by four Doric pillars.[12] A bell made by Paul Revere was moved from the old courthouse to the new north portico, where it was tolled to announce court sessions.[14][18]

The interior had a hall running through the center paved with brick.[19] On the eastern side were the offices of the Country Treasurer and the Clerk of Courts.[20] On the western side were the Registry of Deeds and Probate Court.[20] The courtroom was upstairs and featured an arched ceiling.[20] The high sheriff had a desk in the room.[20]

From the outside it was an attractive building, but it was not a comfortable place to work.[15] The only water was provided by a well on Court Street, and it did not have an adequate heating system.[15] One employee complained that it was "barren and destitute of every convenience, demanded for health, comfort and decency."[15] In 1846, an iron fence was installed around the perimeter.[18]

notes[edit]

  1. ^ Timothy Gay Jr. was the jail keeper and was indicted, but acquitted, in the escape of Jason Fairbanks.[4]
  2. ^ Hanson is not clear in which year they first met.[5]
  3. ^ The bell was moved to the new courthouse, and the last record of the cupola was in 1817. It disappeared sometime after that.[14]

Refs[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cook 1918, p. 39.
  2. ^ The County of Norfolk, Massachusetts. Last accessed December 21, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c Cook 1918, p. 48.
  4. ^ Hanson 1976, p. 188.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Hanson 1976, p. 166.
  6. ^ "Dedham Museum & Archive Speaker Series". The Dedham Times. Vol. 32, no. 15. April 12, 2024. p. 15.
  7. ^ a b c d Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 11.
  8. ^ a b c d e f The Associated Press (September 13, 1999). "Former Dedham jail being converted into upscale condominiums". South Coast Today. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Parr 2009.
  10. ^ DiFazio, Joe (May 28, 2019). "Norfolk County sheriff hires new superintendent". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Hanson 1976, p. 166-167.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 10.
  13. ^ a b Hanson 1976, p. 167.
  14. ^ a b c Hanson 1976, p. 239.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hanson 1976, p. 229.
  16. ^ Hanson 1976, p. 228-229.
  17. ^ a b "NHL nomination for Norfolk County Courthouse". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-05-26.
  18. ^ a b Clarke 1903, p. 15.
  19. ^ Clarke 1903, p. 6.
  20. ^ a b c d Clarke 1903, p. 14.

Elected officials[edit]

Sheriffs[edit]

Main article: List of Sheriffs of Norfolk County, Massachusetts

There have been 21 sheriffs of Norfolk County.[1]

Years Sheriff[1]
2021–Present Patrick W. McDermott
2018–2021 Jerome P. McDermott
1999–2018 Michael G. Bellotti
1996–1999 John H. Flood
1975–1996 Clifford H. Marshall
1961–1975 Charles Hedges
1958–1961 Peter M. McCormack
1939–1958 Samuel Wragg
1898–1939 Samuel Capen
1885–1898 Augustus B. Endicott
1878–1885 Rufus Corbin Wood
1857–1878 John W. Thomas
1853–1857 Thomas Adams
1852–1853 John W. Thomas
1848–1852 Thomas Adams
1843–1848 Jerauld N. E. Mann
1834–1843 John Baker, II
1812–1834 Elijah Crane
1811–1812 William Brewer
1810–1811 Elijah Crane
1798–1810 Benjamin Clark Cutler
1794–1798 Atherton Thayer
1793–1794 Ebeneezer Thayer

Treasurers[edit]

Years Treasurer
2021–Present Michael G. Bellotti
2017–2021 James E. Timilty
2002-2017 Joseph Connolly
1997–2002 Tim Cahill
1907- Henry D. Humphrey
1889-1907 Charles W. Smith
April 1855-1889 Chauncey C. Churchill[2]
1793-1809 Isaac Bullard

Registers of Deeds[edit]

Years Register
2002–present[3] William P. O'Donnell
2001-2002[3] Paul D. Harold
1970-2001[3] Barry T. Hannon
1947-1970[3] L. Thomas Shine
1917-1947[3] Walter W. Chambers
1916-1917[3] Edward L. Burdakin
1874-1916[4] John H. Burdakin
1861-1874[4] James Foord
1821-1861[4][5] Enos Foord[a]
1813-1821[4] James Foord[b]
1793-1813[4] Eliphalet Pond, Jr.[c]

The Registry was originally housed in one of the first floor rooms of the home of Eliphalet Pond, the first registrar, at 963 Washington Street in Dedham.[8] A sign was nailed to a tree out front informing the public of its location.[8] It then moved to the original Norfolk County Courthouse and remained there for about three decades.[8] When the new Norfolk County Courthouse was built in 1827, the middle office on the west side of the lower level was used by the Registry.[8] When the population of the county grew and the number of real estate transactions increased apace, a new building was constructed for the Registry across the street at 649 High Street.[8] The Boston firm Peabody & Stearns was hired to design the current Registry of Deeds, built in 1905. The main section of the building measures 52 feet by 186 feet, is two stories high with a copper hipped roof, and is built of Indiana limestone with details made of granite from Deer Isle, Maine.[9]

Other[edit]

In the mid-1800s, Jonathan H. Cobb was the clerk of courts.[2]

  1. ^ a b "History". Norfolk County Sheriff's Office. Archived from the original on December 23, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Clarke 1903, p. 14.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference posterlate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference posterearly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Clarke 1903, p. 8-9, 14.
  6. ^ Clarke 1903, p. 8-9.
  7. ^ Clarke 1903, p. 8.
  8. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference trivia1722 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference trivia1722p5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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