Please help support DHSM’s important programs and outreach
The DHSM is solely supported through membership and private donations.
Become a member of the Dedham Historical Society & Museum
Save the Date for the Annual Soiree!
May 18th, 2019
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Save the date for May 18th, 2019 for our annual Soiree held at a spectacular private historic/modern/beautifully landscaped home. This is a member-only event, so if you would like to attend, join DHSM and learn more about this gala evening. Thank you for your support of this important fundraiser.
DHSM 2019-2020
Lecture Series
The fall lecture series will begin in September. Stay tuned for details.
Click here to read about our 2018-2019 lecture series
See below for information on weekday and weekend hours for the museum, gift shop, archives, and office.
781.326.1385
society@dedhamhistorical.org
Free entry to museum, library, and lectures for members, as well as discounts to programs and at the gift shop. Visit the Membership page for more details.
Museum:
Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturdays, 2nd & 4th of each month:
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Admission $5
Educator: Maryann Wattendorf
info@dedhamhistorical.org
Library & Archives:
Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturdays, 2nd & 4th of each month:
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Archives fee $5; research fee $25/hour
Archivist: Rebecca Carpenter
It is recommended that you contact the archivist to schedule an appointment prior to your research visit. To speak with the archivist or schedule an appointment, please call 781.326.1385 or email library@dedhamhistorical.org
Gift Shop
Visit our Gift Shop, where you will find gifts for the holidays, from ornaments to decorative items and reproduction Dedham Pottery.
Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Saturdays, 2nd & 4th of each month:
11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Office:
Tuesday-Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Executive Director: Johanna McBrien
society@dedhamhistorical.org
We Welcome Volunteers
Please let us know if you would like to contribute your time assisting in the archives, museum, with educational programming, or events. Thank you in advance for your participation. Please send an email to info@dedhamhistorical.org
Sold Out! “Water in Dedham: Past, Present & Future” Symposium
A success!! On Saturday, May 4, Dedham's first educational symposium was held. The event sold out with 80+ people who attended the program at the Dedham Historical Society and Museum, "Water in Dedham: Past, Present and future"; followed by a guided tour of the...
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Successful Powder House Cleanup
Thank you to all who volunteered in helping to clear overgrowth at Powder House Rock and around the 1766 Powder House on April 27th, 2019. With the reduction of brush, people are able to access the trail, make the short hike to the top and look over sections of...
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Annual Meeting Has Record Attendance
We had a phenomenal turnout for Gail Coughlin's talk on the Indigenous Peoples of Dedham at the DHSMs Annual Meeting on April 18th, 2019, and the last of our 2018-2019 lecture series. More members and guests attended this year's Annual Meeting than is known to be...
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Shoes! Shoes! Shoes!
Step on over to DHSM to see a selection of shoes from the museum’s collection, ranging from red brocade slippers from a 1747 Fairbanks wedding, high-heel pumps with silver bead trim from the roaring 1920s, children’s shoes, skates, and a rare shoe from an African American shoe shop brought north after the Civil War. Photographs of Dedham residents, and their shoes, from the 19th and 20th centuries accompany the exhibit.
Water in Dedham: Dedham’s Boat Clubs
and Canoe Houses
Through May 2019
This mini exhibit is one of six held at locations in Dedham. The exhibits were inspired by the Water in Dedham: Past, Present and Future symposium held at the Society on May 4, 2019 (see past events for more details). Each exhibit has a different theme related to water in Dedham. The HIstorical Society’s theme is boat houses and canoe houses. The Charles River is at Dedham Community House; the mills at Motherbrook Art & Community Center; floods at Endicott library; bridges at the library main branch; and recreation at the Dedham Commuminity Theater.
Image: Dedham Boat Club; unknown artist. Gift of Robert Vose.
Cycling in Dedham
Ongoing
Spring is here and Summer is right around the corner. What better time than to take out your bike and go for a ride? Get into the zone by first visiting the DHSM to see materials relating to the Dedham Cycle Club and other biking materials as well as historic photographs of local enthusiasts enjoying being on two wheels.
Image: Dedham Cycle Club, ca. 1894.
Native American Stone Tools
Ongoing
Opened April 18, 2019
A display of tools that date from thousands of years ago to the 17th century that were found in Dedham and the surrounding area. The items on display were used in farming, hunting, and felling trees. Also on view are important land deeds between Native Americans and the English settlers.