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97-481: During its busiest years, the waterworks pumped as much as a hundred million gallons of water each day. The station was decommissioned in the 1970s, and later some of its buildings were turned into condominiums. After a period of disuse, the pumping station was restored, and in 2007 the Waterworks Preservation Trust was set up to oversee its conversion into a museum. In March 2011, the building reopened to

194-413: A Board of Selectmen . Power and initiative ebbed and flowed between the two bodies. The settlers then undertook the difficult task of establishing a church, drafting its doctrinal base, and selecting a minister. In early days nearly every resident was a member but, seeking a church of only "visible saints," membership declined over time. Though the " half-way covenant " was proposed in 1657 and endorsed by

291-447: A Utopian society along the lines of the later Amana Colonies , Oneida Community , and Brook Farm . In "its first years, the town was more than a place to live; it was a spiritual community." Its distinctive characteristics created what has been described as a "Christian Utopian Closed Corporate Community": Christian because they saw Christian love as the force which would most completely unite their community. Utopian because theirs

388-400: A 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $ 61,855, and the median income for a family was $ 85,056. Males had a median income of $ 51,964 versus $ 41,060 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 36,358. About 1.7% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over. Natick

485-594: A Board of Selectmen and a Town Administrator. The members of the Board and the dates their terms end are (as of March 2023): The town is part of the Massachusetts Senate's Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district . Mismanagement of Middlesex County's public hospital in the mid-1990s left the county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the Massachusetts legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of

582-406: A decade before. When a committee dispatched to evaluate land granted in return for 2,000 acres given to the "praying Indians" of Natick submitted a bill for their expenses in 1663, it was a sign that the days of performing community service without expectation of financial reward were over. By 1686, much of the overt Utopian spirit the founders had instilled 50 years prior had been destroyed. By

679-470: A few men were chosen for political office and "a most peculiar democracy " in that laws of suffrage changed frequently both to restrict and to expand the franchise. While the first settlers were subject to the General Court, they had wide latitude to establish a local government as they saw fit. The first public meeting of the plantation was held on August 18, 1636. A total of 18 men were present, and

776-402: A glimpse of Evans. Photos were taken of him and his co-star sitting on a bench on the commons as well as inside and outside Park Street Ice Cream. Defending Jacob released on Apple TV+ on April 24, 2020. History of Dedham, Massachusetts, 1635%E2%80%931699#Incorporation The history of Dedham, Massachusetts , 1635–1699 , begins with the first settlers' arrival in 1635 and runs to

873-415: A group of wealthy, experienced friends as Selectmen and then heeded their judgement. It also adopted a clause in the covenant that mandated mediation, which supported stability of the society. There was not so much a system of checks and balances so much as there was system where each individual voluntarily restrained himself. Due to its unique features it was both "a peculiar oligarchy " in that only

970-609: A location for his Praying Indian settlement. Natick was settled in 1651 by John Eliot, a Puritan missionary born in Widford, England , who received a commission and funds from England's Long Parliament to settle the Massachusett Indians called Praying Indians on both sides of the Charles River, on land deeded from the settlement at Dedham. Natick was the first of Eliot's network of praying towns and served as their center for

1067-413: A long time. While the towns were largely self-governing under Indian leaders, such as Waban and Cutshamekin , the praying Indians were subject to rules governing conformity to Puritan culture (in practice Natick, like the other praying towns, combined both indigenous and Puritan culture and practices). Eliot and Praying Indian translators printed America's first Algonquian language Bible. Eventually,

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1164-419: A number of his fellow townsmen, he apparently appeared so obnoxious and greedy that the fine was repealed. The number of yea and nay votes also began being recorded where previously decisions were made by consensus. As the century progressed, residents were also more likely to use the court system to settle disputes, which was previously unheard of, than they were to go use the arbitration method laid out in

1261-474: A seemingly endless supply of rocks and wolves." There were a number of surveys undertaken over the years, beginning with one in 1638 undertaken by John Rogers and Jonathan Fairbanks , but the issue was not settled until the United States Supreme Court took up a case in 1846 that involved a dispute between the border of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In the second petition, the settlers asked

1358-507: A small population, a simple and agrarian economy, and the free distribution of large tracts of land, there was very little disparity in wealth. As the town grew, new towns broke off from Dedham, beginning with Medfield in 1651. With the division and subdivision of so many communities, Dedham has been called the "Mother of Towns." Of towns founded during the colonial era, Dedham is one of the few towns "that has preserved extensive records of its earliest years." This has enabled historians to date

1455-467: A small sum. Early settlers gave places names such as Dismal Swamp, Purgatory Brook, Satan's Kingdom, and Devil's Oven. The Algonquians living in the area called the place Tiot, which means "land surrounded by water." Dedham was settled in the summer of 1636 by "about thirty families excised from the broad ranks of the English middle classes," largely from Yorkshire and East Anglia. Only five signers of

1552-471: A summer vacation area, with tiny cottages surrounding Jennings Pond. Over the years, some houses were enlarged, but the area remains quaint and quiet with no thru traffic. On the westerly side of South Oak is a neighborhood of Cape style houses with streets named after World War II Generals. North of Route 9, other developments of small Cape-style homes were built in the early and mid-1950s and were popular with first-time home buyers due to their affordability. As

1649-470: A team from the town fire department won "The World's Hook and Ladder Championship", a competition between the fire departments of four area towns. The victory gave the town its nickname "Home of Champions". Miles 8 through 12 of the Boston Marathon run through Natick on Patriots' Day every year along Route 135/Central St. , and thousands of residents and visitors line the road to watch. According to

1746-519: A variety of low level offices, including constable , hog reeve , or fence viewer . This did not mean communism as the settlers subscribed to the Puritan belief of a natural inequality among men as being divine providence. Still, the relative economic equality kept social rank to a minimum and helped maintain social harmony. Men could live their entire lives in this community among their equals and on their own land. This was, according to one commentator,

1843-493: Is happening throughout the region, the capes are getting large additions or replaced by much larger homes. There are two Industrial Parks along north Oak St that contain office buildings on one side of the road and larger warehouses on the eastern side. Just south of the Natick Common, Cottage Street begins what is commonly called Little South, named so because of its proximity to South Natick. Little South nomenclature extends to

1940-593: Is part of the Greater Boston area. Massachusetts's center of population was in Natick at the censuses of 2000–2020, most recently in the vicinity of Hunters Lane. The name Natick comes from the language of the Massachusett Native American tribe and is commonly thought to mean "Place of Hills." A more accurate translation may be "place of [our] searching," after John Eliot 's successful search for

2037-425: Is surrounded, on three sides, by five of the eleven most affluent towns in Massachusetts with Wayland to the north, Weston to the northeast, Wellesley to the east, Dover to the southeast, and Sherborn to the southwest. Source: Companies based in Natick include Cognex Corporation , MathWorks , and Exponent . Natick has representative town meeting form of government (consisting of 180 members) with

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2134-400: Is the most densely populated section of town, with its thousands of condominiums and apartments clustered across the street from the train station. Natick is a small town, and thus, the various sections of tract development homes are considered neighborhoods. These were houses built by several contractors in the late 1940s until the late 1950s. Listed here, are a few of these sections. One of

2231-627: The Allin Congregational Church in Dedham Square. The site is known as "the Keye," and in 1927 a stone bench and memorial plaque were installed on the site. By March 1637, with homes built and fields planted, the settlers moved to their new village. The first town meeting held in Dedham was on March 23, 1636–37 and was attended by 15 men. Like its surrounding communities, Dedham's early culture

2328-750: The Fairbanks House as the oldest tinder house in America and Mother Brook as the first man-made canal in Colonial America. It also established the Dedham Public Schools as the first public school in the country. In 1635 there were rumors in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that a war with the local native people was impending and a fear arose that the few, small, coastal communities that existed were in danger of attack. This, in addition to

2425-472: The United States Census Bureau , the town has an area of 16.0 square miles (41 km ), of which 15.1 square miles (39 km ) is land and 1.0 square mile (2.6 km ) is water. The total area is 7.04% water, including Lake Cochituate and Dug Pond . Natick borders Wellesley , Wayland , Weston , Framingham , Sherborn and Dover . Natick Center, also known as Downtown Natick, is at

2522-470: The " plan of the society [John] Winthrop hoped to construct in Massachusetts was the plan of Dedham writ large." The Utopian impulse did not last, however, and "the policies of perfection" no longer dominated just 50 years after the establishment of the community. By the 1640s the town began permitting residents to fence in their strips of land in the common field and, presumably, to grow whatever crop they wanted in it. By reducing and eventually eliminating

2619-499: The "loving spirit" proclaimed in the Covenant "came to be conspicuous by [its] absence." Records of open dissent began appearing, first about seating placements in the meetinghouse. In 1674, people began sitting in places other than those assigned for them. This growing sense of egalitarianism did not sit well with some, and a committee was appointed to deal with those who sat in the seats assigned to others. Some refused to meet with

2716-515: The 1990s new downtown construction of a town hall, fire/police station, and enlargement to the library gave the downtown a fresh new look. New municipal buildings exist alongside several historic buildings and churches, the restored Central Fire House, several banks, restaurants and small businesses. In 2012 the Massachusetts Cultural Council voted unanimously to make Natick Center one of the newest state-designated cultural districts,

2813-525: The 2013 American drama film Labor Day (film) starring Kate Winslet , Josh Brolin and Tobey Maguire were filmed in Natick, at locations including The Center for Arts in Natick and Park Street Ice Cream. Natick appears in the 2015 video game Fallout 4 , which is set in the greater Boston area (referred to in the game as The Commonwealth). Part of South Natick made an appearance in the Oscar-nominated movie Knives Out . While filming on location,

2910-539: The Arts, as well as many Victorian era houses lining Walnut, Highland and Bacon Streets. The Wethersfield area of Natick is a residential neighborhood north of Route 9. It is a typical 1950s development of Campanelli ranch houses, and remains popular with first-time home buyers due to the relatively inexpensive slab-style houses. This area includes Drury Lane and all connecting roads within the boundaries of route 9, Pine Street, and Route 27. South of Route 9, this section began as

3007-550: The Board of Selectmen, Town Meetings were generally called only twice a year and usually did not stray far from the agenda prepared for them by the selectmen. In fact, the Meeting would often refer issues to the Selectmen to act upon or to "prepare and ripen the answer" to a difficult question. Town Meeting typically took on only routine business, such as the election of officers or setting the minister's salary, and left other business to

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3104-550: The Charles River, has some of Natick's oldest homes. Just before South Natick begins, there is a Virgin Mary statue on a large rock on the south side of the Charles River, enveloped by pine trees. As of the census of 2010, there were 32,786 people, 13,080 households, and 8,528 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,132.9 inhabitants per square mile (823.5/km ). There were 13,368 housing units at an average density of 886.3 per square mile (342.2/km ). The racial makeup of

3201-439: The General Court knew exactly how much land they were requesting, or granting. The petition was for all the land south of the Charles River, but maps from the early 1630s show the river ending somewhere near modern day Dedham. It had never been explored by colonial settlers beyond that point. Instead, the colony gave them over "two hundred square miles of virgin wilderness, complete with lakes, hills, forests, meadows, Indians, and

3298-449: The General Court to incorporate the plantation into a town, and to free the town from all "Countrey Charges," or taxes, for four years and from all military exercises unless "extraordinary occasion require it." The General Court granted only a three-year reprieve from taxes. They also asked to "distinguish our town by the name of Contentment" but when the "prosaic minds" in the Court granted

3395-642: The Lilja School. Longfellow Health Club, which features a gym, pool, and tennis courts, is in East Natick off Oak St. in the Industrial Park. The stretch of Route 9 in East Natick as one heads into Wellesley contains a multitude of ever-changing retail businesses. West Natick is a large section of Natick that borders the town of Framingham . The Natick Mall , as well as the strip mall called Sherwood Plaza with its office Industrial Park behind, are considered to be

3492-629: The Natick Common. South Natick, known for its scenic nature, is where the Native American settlers first arrived and began the town on the shores of the Charles River . Housing developers like Martin Cerel lived in South Natick, and thus refrained from building major tract neighborhoods in this part of town. Most South Natick residents consider themselves to have a strong, separate cultural identity from

3589-511: The Natick Indians were sent to Deer Island . Many died of disease and cold, and those who survived found their homes destroyed. The Indian village did not fully recover, and the land held in common by the Indian community was slowly sold to white settlers to cover debts. By 1785, most of the Natick Indians had drifted away. After King Philip's War, Elliot's and a few other missionaries' opposition to

3686-682: The New Englanders to prioritize missionary work over growth, "the killing of those poor Indians....How happy a thing it had been if you had converted some before you had killed any." Chastened in the wake of the Mystic Massacre which occurred during the Pequot War , sincere efforts at evangelizing began. A school was set up, a government established, and the Indians were encouraged to convert to Christianity . In November 1675, during King Philip's War ,

3783-550: The basement of the building. The building contains the stonework faces of its designer, Arthur H. Vinal , and his wife. Natick, Massachusetts Natick ( / ˈ n eɪ t ɪ k / NAY -tik ) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts , United States. It is near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 37,006 at the 2020 census . 10 miles (16 km) west of Boston , Natick

3880-547: The belief that the few towns that did exist were too close together, prompted the Massachusetts General Court to establish two new inland communities. On May 6, 1635, the General Court granted permission to residents of Watertown to set off and establish new towns. One group, led by Rev. Thomas Hooker , left and founded Hartford, Connecticut and another, led by Simon Willard, left to found Concord, Massachusetts . Together, Dedham and Concord they helped relieve

3977-481: The boat, saw the river flowing just across a bit of grass, in a place where I knew we had passed through nigh an hour before. "Moore," said Miles then to me, "the river is like its Master, our good King Charles , of sainted memory, it promises overmuch, but gets you nowhere." They first landed where the river makes its "great bend," near what is today Ames Street, and close by the Dedham Community House and

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4074-481: The church in Natick was led for several decades by an indigenous pastor, Rev. Daniel Takawambait . The colonial government placed such settlements in a ring of villages around Boston as a defensive strategy. Natick was the first and best documented settlement. The land was granted by the General Court as part of the Dedham Grant . After a period of expansion and little focus on evangelism, Reverend John Robinson told

4171-481: The church." It was not required that a man be wealthy to serve, but it improved his chances of getting elected. Men who were not members of the church were still allowed to hold town office. The burdens of office could take up to a third of their time during busy seasons. They served without salary and came up through the ranks of lower offices. In return they became "men of immense prestige" and were frequently selected to serve in other high posts. After creation of

4268-563: The commercial hub of West Natick. In addition to its retail development, post World War II housing developments like Westfield, Pelham, and Sherwood as well as the National Guard depot and a golf course on Speen St brought many people to this part of town. There are many businesses in West Natick along West Central Street as well as another MBTA Commuter Rail station in addition to the one downtown. The area in West Natick, along Route 135

4365-439: The committee and others were not happy with the decisions they made. With discontent lingering, Ruling Elder John Hunting was asked to speak to those involved. Hunting was not successful either, so the selectmen imposed a fine of five shillings on those who did not sit in their assigned seats with one-third of the fine going to those who reported an offender and the remainder going to the town. After Nathanial Bullard informed on

4462-564: The common field system, it reduced the number of interactions each farmer had with his neighbors and made one less decision they had to make and employ in common. By about 1660, not every newcomer to town was invited to sign the Covenant making them "by implication second class citizens ." Laws that restricted the presence of strangers were rarely enforced after 1675. Eventually, as some men grew richer, they were able to hire substitutes to serve in their place on communal projects or to serve in office for them. Also around this time evidence of

4559-420: The community felt it should be. None who were not committed to this ideal were to be admitted as townsmen and, if the need arose, they were to be expelled. The commitment in the Covenant to allow only like-minded individuals to live within the town explains why "church records show no instances of dissension, Quaker or Baptist expulsions, or witchcraft persecutions." The Covenant was intended to extend beyond

4656-480: The county. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region, but there is no county council or commissioner. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. These are the remaining elected officers for Middlesex County: The Natick Public School District operates

4753-470: The covenant also stipulated that differences would be submitted to between one and four other members of the town for resolution. This arbitration system was so successful there was no need for courts. It was also expected that once a decision was made that all would abide by it with no further dissent or debate. For the first fifty years of Dedham's existence, there were no prolonged disputes that were common in other communities. The town meeting "was

4850-429: The covenant were university graduates, but many more would be called upon to serve the town, the church, and the colony. As Puritans , they came to Massachusetts in order to live and worship as they pleased. They traveled up the Charles River from Roxbury and Watertown in rough canoes carved from felled trees. These original settlers, including Edward Alleyn , John Everard, John Gay and John Ellis "paddled up

4947-402: The covenant. While Dedham was insulated to a great degree from the outside world in its early years, as time went on it was dragged into the greater society. One result was that, as residents began to see them as parts of a larger society, less emphasis was placed on the local community. In 1661, Richard Ellis refused to serve as Town Clerk, an action that would have been unthinkable just

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5044-494: The earliest post World War II developments in West Natick, the homes are colonial in style, with street names reminiscent of the Robin Hood legend. The homes were built in 1948 and the neighborhood remains popular due to the fact that there's no through traffic, and most of the houses have been enlarged with additions. Walnut Hill is a neighborhood north of downtown. It is known for the private boarding school Walnut Hill School for

5141-577: The east portions of Everett Street, down to Eliot St. Homes along Cottage St. were primarily built in the early 1950s and are mostly modest and well-maintained. The best-known landmarks in Little South are a WWII monument dedicated to the fallen soldiers from Natick, and The Tobin School, a private daycare and elementary school that has two large buildings off of Cottage St. Everett St. has larger farm homes situated on generous lots. Eliot St., which runs parallel to

5238-583: The end of the 17th century. The settlers, who built their village on land the native people called Tiot, incorporated the plantation in 1636. They sought to build a community in which all would live out Christian love in their daily lives, and for a time did, but the Utopian impulse did not last. The system of government they devised was both "a peculiar oligarchy" and "a most peculiar democracy." Most freemen could participate in Town Meeting, though they soon established

5335-417: The end of the first century, public disagreements seemed to be the rule rather than the exception and decisions were made by majority, not consensus. The Covenant was no longer enforced nor served as the guide for every decision by the time the town reached its 50th anniversary. That it lasted well into the second generation was, according to one commentator, "longer than anyone had a right to expect." Still,

5432-520: The executions and enslavement of Indians were eventually silenced by death threats. In 1775, both European and Indian citizens of Natick participated in the battles of Lexington, Concord and Bunker Hill , as well as serving in the Continental Army . The names of Natick's Praying Indian soldiers are memorialized on a stone marker, along with all of Natick's Revolutionary War veterans, on a stone marker on Pond Street, near downtown Natick. The town

5529-522: The first time on August 18, 1636 in Watertown . By September 5, 1636, their number grew from 18 at the first meeting to 25 proprietors willing to set out for the new community. By November 25, however, so few people had actually moved to Dedham that the proprietors voted to require every man to move to Dedham permanently by the first day of the following November or they would lose the land they had been granted. A few young men without families set off to spend

5626-625: The following schools: Natick Center station , in the downtown area, is served by the MBTA Commuter Rail Framingham/Worcester Line . Bus service is provided in Natick by the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority . Natick was the setting for Harriet Beecher-Stowe 's 1869 fictional novel Oldtown Folks . The novel is based on her husband's childhood in Natick, and it accurately details town landmarks, ministers, and inhabitants despite renaming

5723-439: The foundation whereof is ever lasting love." Intended to be perpetual and binding on future generations, it prohibited those who were "contrary minded" and those who didn't share their religious beliefs, but it was not a theocracy. Before a man could join the community he underwent a public inquisition to determine his suitability. While great effort was taken to ensure disagreements were resolved before they grew into disputes,

5820-491: The growing population pressure and placed communities between the larger, more established coastal towns and the Indians further west. It was not until the following March, however, that the General Court ordered that the bounds of what would become Dedham be mapped out. The committee appointed to do so reported back in April, but the date the grant was awarded to the original proprietors has been lost to history. The original grant

5917-602: The intersection of Central Street and Main Street and serves as the town's civic and cultural hub. Many public services and public land use are downtown. Municipal buildings like the Natick Town Hall, Natick Fire Department, Natick Police Department and Morse Institute Library are there, along East Central Street. Also directly downtown is the Natick Town Common, where many town events and community activities are held. In

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6014-413: The least of which were peace and good order. Each of the original settlers pledged to live out Christian love in their daily lives. Each was also expected to be united in this love as it was designed to bring about a deep and abiding peace throughout the whole community. Inquiries could also be made into the private lives of townsmen, and adjustments ordered when a resident's life was not as virtuous as

6111-427: The lifetimes if those who wrote it and to be binding upon all residents in perpetuity. The poor would be helped if they were residents of Dedham, but sent away if they were not. In addition to paying taxes, each man was expected to labor on communal projects several days each month. Every year, six days were set aside to work on roads and each man was expected to work four of them. Townsmen also took turns serving in

6208-509: The location to Oldtown. Beecher-Stowe is best known for writing abolitionist fiction novel Uncle Tom's Cabin . Natick appears on the Family Guy episode " Da Boom " when the family sets out to the town after Peter reveals that there is a Twinkie factory there (Natick did contain a Hostess factory until 2007 when the Natick Mall expanded into the collection). He eventually starts a town on

6305-470: The loss of property was greater in proportion to the town's wealth than the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1875, Natick's new Central Fire Station was completed on Summer Street and opened with grand ceremony on the same city block where the fire was first discovered. The Central Fire Station is now the home of The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN), a private nonprofit performing arts center. In 1891,

6402-434: The meeting place, even though each absence from the meeting brought a fine, and even though the town crier personally visited the house of every latecomer half an hour after the meeting had begun, only 74 percent of those eligible actually showed up at the typical town meeting between 1636 and 1644." A colony law required all voters to be Church members until 1647, though it may not have been enforced. Even if it were, 70% of

6499-507: The men in town would have been eligible to participate. The law changed in 1647 and, as it was interpreted in Dedham, all men over 24 were eligible to vote. The colony changed the requirements periodically, though occasionally with a grandfather clause . In provincial elections, only church members could vote. Regardless of whether or not they were able to vote, records indicate that all men were able to attend and speak. The whole town would gather regularly to conduct public affairs, but it

6596-408: The minister, the congregation rejected it. Population grew from about 200 people in early days to around 700 by 1700, with land being distributed according to rank and family size. Though it was given out sparingly in general, lands were also awarded in return for service to the church and the community. The town remained insular during the early years, with the community remaining self contained. With

6693-473: The motto of the town. Many of the other yeomen settling the new Dedham in the Massachusetts Bay Colony came from Suffolk , in eastern England. The original grant stretched from the southwestern border of what is today Boston but was then Roxbury and Dorchester to the Rhode Island and Plymouth Colony borders. To the west were ungranted lands. The less than 100 Indians who lived on the land sold it for

6790-493: The narrow, deeply flowing stream impatiently turning curve after curve around Nonantum until, emerging from the tall forest into the open, they saw in the sunset glow a golden river twisting back and forth through broad, rich meadows." In search of the best land available to them they continued on but The river took many turns, so that it was a burden the continual turning about.   ... West, east, and north we turned on that same meadow and progressed none, so that I, rising in

6887-660: The next year it came online as the Chestnut Hill pumping station - only a few years after the first such station in the world, in Germany. Water was pumped from this station uphill to the Fisher Hill reservoir , where gravity would then push the water to the surrounding area. In 1894, the station put its third water pump into operation: a steam-powered water pump designed by Erasmus Darwin Leavitt . The Leavitt-Riedler Pumping Engine , as it

6984-462: The original and protean vessel of local authority. The founders of Dedham had met to discuss the policies of their new community even before the General Court had defined the nature of town government." The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. Attendance at Meetings was considered vital for the life of the community. The meeting operated on a basis of consensus. Even when it did not fully exercise them, "the power of

7081-497: The petition on September 7, 1636 they decreed that the "towne shall beare the name of Dedham." The earliest records of the settlement, before the General Court settled on Dedham, all use the name Contentment. Tradition holds that John Rogers or John Dwight , both signers of the petition seeking the establishment of the town, asked the Court to name it after their hometown in England of Dedham, Essex . "Contentment" eventually became

7178-466: The project had the code name "Morning Bell". Other scenes were shot in surrounding towns such as Wellesley, Framingham, and Waltham. In April 2019 Chris Evans was in Natick filming an upcoming TV series, Defending Jacob . The production was seen filming on the Natick Common, Park Street, and at Park Street Ice Cream. The ice cream shop was temporarily converted into "K.D. Scoops" for the filming. Many Natick residents crowded around in hopes of getting

7275-463: The public as the Waterworks Museum. In the 1850s, Boston began modernizing its water supply, which at the time was a combination of wells, pond water, and downhill piping from a Natick reservoir. In the 1870s, Boston city leaders decided the city needed to scale up its water filtration and pumping and began looking into options. In 1886, this 'high service' pumping station was designed, and

7372-497: The rest of Natick. It is the only community in Natick that can be separately addressed officially via the US Postal Office, and street signage such as a sign along Route 16 coming from Wellesley communicates arrival in "So. Natick." East Natick is a community of Natick along Oak Street and at the intersection of Oak Street and Worcester Street . Notable landmarks include Jennings Pond, the Industrial Park on Oak St North, and

7469-466: The river. One of the additional men was Robert Feake , the husband of Elizabeth Fones , the widow of John Winthrop 's son, Henry . Feake only ever attended three meetings, all of them in Watertown, and there is no record that he ever set foot in Dedham. He was presumably recruited for his political influence and was granted a farm lot in addition to his house lot in return. Neither the settlers nor

7566-522: The ruins of the community, renaming it New Quahog. To solvers of crossword puzzles such as those of The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times , "natick" (as coined by Rex Parker ) refers to any square a solver cannot fill in correctly without guessing because the solver does not know either entry that passes through it (and there are at least two letters that are reasonable guesses). Such entries are generally proper nouns. Scenes included in

7663-433: The same values and to be seeking the same goals as their neighbors" and they were "invested with great authority." If a man served three terms and met with the satisfaction of the community, he tended to stay on the board for many years following. Soon the selectmen "enjoyed almost complete control over every aspect of local administration." Almost all townsmen would have to appear before them at one point or another during

7760-419: The selectmen. In the late 1600s and early 1700s, Town Meeting began to assert more authority and fewer decisions were left to the judgment of the selectmen. Over the course of 30–40 years, small innovations brought the initiative back to the meeting and away from the board. It brought back a balance of power between the two bodies which, in theory, had always existed, but which in practice had been tilted to

7857-400: The selectmen. One of the most prominent ways they did so was by calling for more meetings. In the first 50 years of existence, town meetings were held on average about twice a year but by 1700 it was held four or five times each year. The agenda also grew longer and included an open ended item that allowed them to discuss any item they liked, and not just the topics the selectmen placed upon

7954-508: The tenth district to win this designation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Cultural Districts Initiative is designed to help communities attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and job growth, expand tourism, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development. Natick Center Cultural District is anchored by The Center for Arts in Natick , Morse Institute Library and

8051-471: The town covenant was signed. It was a diverse group and included husbandmen, wool-combers, farriers, millers, linen weavers, and butchers. The covenant outlined both the social ideal they hoped to achieve and the policies and procedures they would use to reach it. They swore they would "in the fear and reverence of our Almighty God, mutually and severally promise amongst ourselves and each to profess and practice one truth according to that most perfect rule,

8148-417: The town meeting knew no limit." The more wealthy a voter was, the more likely he would attend the meeting. However, "even though no more than 58 men were eligible to come to the Dedham town meeting and to make the decisions for the town, even though the decisions to which they addressed themselves were vital to their existence, even though every inhabitant was required to live within one mile (1.6 km) of

8245-441: The town remained small and slow growing, with little change to institutional structures or traditional views. By 1675, taxpayers paid more the county and colony than they did to the town, reflecting a growing importance of the regional bodies and the cost of the colony expanding westward. After 1691, as the county grew more powerful, the town began more closely following the law lest they get fined. The colonial settlers met for

8342-550: The town was 85.4% White , 2% African American , 0.1% Native American , 7.2% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander , 0.5% from other races and 2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3% of the population. There were 13,080 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. Of all households, 28.3% were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who

8439-492: The winter there, including Nicholas Phillips, Ezekiel Holliman , and likely Ralph Shepard, John Rogers, Lambert Genere, Joseph Shaw, and the Morses. The first town meeting held in Dedham was on March 23, 1637. Most of the proprietors were present, and it is believed that most of them must have been living in Dedham by then. For the first fifty years of Dedham's existence, it enjoyed a stable, tranquil government. The town elected

8536-541: The year to ask for a swap of land, to ask to remove firewood from the common lands, or for some other purpose. The selectmen wrote most of the laws in the town and they levied taxes on their fellow townsmen. They could also approve expenditures. They also served as a court, determining who had broken by-laws and issuing fines. As the selectmen became more active, the Town Meeting became essentially passive. Selectmen were "the most powerful men in town. As men, they were few in number, old, and relatively rich and saints of

8633-429: Was "found by long experience that the general meeting of so many men   ... has wasted much time to no small damage and business is thereby nothing furthered." In response, on May 3, 1639, seven selectmen were chosen "by general consent" and given "full power to contrive, execute and perform all the business and affairs of this whole town." The leaders they chose "were men of proven ability who were known to hold

8730-440: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.02. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 34.3% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. According to

8827-428: Was a highly conscious attempt to build the most perfect possible community, as perfectly united, perfectly at peace, and perfectly ordered as man could arrange. Closed because its membership was selected while outsiders were treated with suspicion or rejected altogether. And Corporate because the commune demanded the loyalty of its members, offering in exchange privileges which could be obtained only through membership, not

8924-458: Was for about 3.5 square miles (9.1 km ) on the northeast side of the Charles River, including what is today Newton and land on the other shore the makes up roughly half of present day Dedham, Needham , Westwood , and Dover . The order came after twelve men petitioned the General Court for a tract of land south of the Charles River. Those men, plus seven others, made a second petition on August 29, 1636 for additional land on both sides of

9021-577: Was incorporated in 1781. Henry Wilson , a U.S. senator who became the 18th Vice President of the United States (1873–1875), lived most of his life in Natick as a shoemaker and schoolteacher known as the "Natick Cobbler" and is buried there. He is the namesake of one of Natick's middle schools. Though Natick was primarily a farming town, the invention of the sewing machine in 1858 led to the growth of several shoe factories. The business flourished and peaked by 1880, when Natick, with 23 operating factories,

9118-478: Was later called, was promoted as "the most efficient pumping engine in the world" it was first unveiled, and remained in operation through 1928. In the 20th century it was declared a historic mechanical engineering landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers . It was fully restored by the museum and is the centerpiece of its main floor. Mark Wahlberg filmed part of his 1992 " You Gotta Believe " in

9215-552: Was manufactured by the firm of H. Harwood & Sons in their factory, the world's first plant for the manufacture of baseballs. In 1988 H. Harwood & Sons was converted into baseball factory condominiums. In 1874, a fire in downtown Natick demolished 18 business blocks, two shoe factories, the Town Hall, Natick's only fire engine house and the Congregational Church, as well as many private homes. Though there were no deaths,

9312-408: Was much like the English villages where its original settlers were born and small agricultural communities all over Europe. A number of the customs and institutions in the town were direct transplants from contemporary English villages. However, as a settlement of English Puritans who escaped oppression to settle in the wilderness, "Dedham was peculiarly American." It was originally intended to be

9409-514: Was third in the nation in the quantity of shoes produced. The shoes made in Natick were primarily heavy work shoes with only one or two companies making lighter dress shoes. Natick was famous for its brogan (shoes) , a heavy ankle-high boot worn by soldiers in the American Civil War . The wound core for a more resilient baseball was developed by John W. Walcott and combined with the figure-eight stitching devised by Colonel William A. Cutler. It

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