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Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham was settled in 1635 by people from Roxbury
and Watertown, and was incorporated in 1636. It
became
the county seat of Norfolk County. When the Town was
incorporated, the residents wanted to name it Contentment.
The Massachusetts General Court overruled them and
named the town after Dedham, Essex in England, where
some of the original inhabitants were born.
The early residents of town built the first American
canal, the first tax supported public school and Jonathan
Fairbanks built what is today the oldest house in North
America. Of towns founded during the colonial era,
Dedham is one of the few towns "that has preserved
extensive records of its earliest years." They
have been described as "very full and perfect."
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