TheDedham Community House is a house on the banks of the Charles River inDedham, Massachusetts, owned and operated by the Dedham Community Association.[1]
It was originally built in 1798 forJudge Samuel Haven and designed byCharles Bulfinch.[2][1] The land was once owned by Haven's father,Jason Haven, and maternal grandfather,Samuel Dexter.[3] It was noted as one of the most hospitable houses of the day in Massachusetts.[3] The Havens entertained many distinguished guests, includingRichard Henry Dana Sr.,Elizabeth Peabody,Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife,Horace Mann and his wife,Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.,Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.,Washington Allston and his wife,Charles Folsom and his wife, JudgeTheron Metcalf and his wife,[3] andAbraham Lincoln.[2][1] The house is mentioned inThe Life of Nathaniel Hawthorne by Julian Hawthorne.[3]
The rooms on the first floor feature high ceilings, long French windows, tiled fireplaces, carved mahogany mantles and moldings, and original chandeliers.[4] A curved staircase leads to a second floor with smaller chamber rooms.[4] The front door handle features a hex mark designed to keep witches and fire from harming the house.[5]
After the Havens, the house was owned by Freeman Fisher.[6][a]
On September 20, 1848, then-CongressmanAbe Lincoln arrived by train atDedham station.[7] He was met by a brass band and they accompanied him down the street to the Haven House where he had lunch.[7] Lincoln then walked to theTemperance Hall where he gave a speech promotingZachary Taylor's bid for the White House.[7]
Lincoln's hour long speech was praised by Whig newspapers but criticized by Democratic ones.[7] TheRoxbury Gazette, for example, called it "a melancholy display" while journalist George Moore said Lincoln was "all the time gaining on his audience. He soon had us under his spell."[7] The crowd asked him to stay longer, but Lincoln left when he heard the nearby train whistle as he had other engagements that evening.[7]
A bust of Lincoln, sculpted by Dedham's Alexander Doyle, is now on display in the house.[7]
In 1922 it was purchased by Charles J. Kimball and a group of civic-minded citizens for use as a community center.[4][2] In the early 1970s it housed the Town's teen center.[8][9]
Today the Community House is dedicated to "advancing the educational, recreational, cultural and civic interests of residents of all ages of Dedham and surrounding communities."[4] They offer a pre-school, summer camp, and a variety of classes and workshops throughout the year for all ages.[4][1] In 1924, the House hosted six weeks of supervised play for children during the summer months.[10] The program was expanded and moved to the various neighborhoods of town the following summer.[10]
In 2017, a grant from the Foundation for MetroWest paid to refurbish the 27 windows of the building.[1] As part of that project, old cupboards and cabinets were discovered after having previously been painted shut.[1] The house was shown in the 2014 filmThe Judge.[11]
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