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One of the original counties of the Massachusetts Bay Colony created on May 10, 1643, was called Norfolk, and is unrelated to the current Norfolk County. It covered territory in what is now New Hampshire, and was abolished on September 18, 1679, whenKing Charles II separated theColony of New Hampshire from Massachusetts.[4]
Norfolk County, Massachusetts was created on June 20, 1793. Legislation passed in March which separated off all the towns in Suffolk County except Boston and Chelsea (which at the time included what are nowRevere andWinthrop). Dedham was designated as the "shire town".[6]Hingham andHull petitioned to remain in Suffolk County and on the day the law was to take effect, their removal to Norfolk County was repealed, makingCohasset anexclave.[7] In 1803, they were moved intoPlymouth County, Massachusetts.[4]
On June 22, 1797, the town ofNatick was given to Middlesex County, and the town ofNeedham was transferred from Middlesex to Norfolk. The towns ofDorchester andRoxbury were part of Norfolk County when it was created but, as Boston annexed each town in stages from 1804 to 1912, they became part of Suffolk County again, leavingBrookline separated from the rest of Norfolk County. No other changes have been made to the territory of Norfolk County, other than new municipalities being created within its boundaries, and minor border adjustments.[4]
Following the creation of the county,Gay's Tavern was the site of a Court of General Sessions on August 25, 1794.[9] They ordered that the committee on buildings proceed with collecting materials for building a jail.[9] 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 theNorfolk County Jail next to his tavern.[9][11][12]
It was replaced by a newNorfolk County Jail in 1817.[13][14] The two story stone building was built in 1817 and was 33' square.[13][14] Part of the jail was torn down in 1851 to erect a central, octagonal portion and two wings.[13][14] It resulted in a building with the shape of aLatin cross, and featuredGothic Revival windows.[14] The three tiers of cells radiated out like spokes from the central guardroom.[14] There were two hangings in the central rotunda:George C. Hersey on August 8, 1862, andJames H. Costley on June 25, 1875.[15]
Inmates were housed in the jail until 1992 when theNorfolk County Correctional Center was opened in 1992.[13] A court forced the closure after 13 inmates escaped in 1989.[15] There were at least 27 break outs during the prison's history.[14]
The current Norfolk County Correctional Center is located on the median ofRoute 128 in Dedham. The facility has 502 beds and opened in 1992.[16]
After the creation of the county, the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions of the Peace first met inDedham's meetinghouse.[11]Nathaniel Ames was chosen as the clerk of both and they met for the first time on September 23.[11][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 theWoodward Tavern across the street.[11] TheAnglican Church in town had also offered their building, but it was in such a state of disrepair that the offer was not accepted.[11] TheFirst Church and Parish in Dedham then offered a piece of land on their Little Common, and a new courthouse was ordered to be constructed.[11] Construction was sluggish, however, and the delays frustrated Ames.[11]
The court was still sitting in the meetinghouse in 1794 but the new courthouse was completed in 1795.[17][18] It was found to be too small, however, and the ceilings were so low as to stifle people in the courtrooms.[19]Charles Bulfinch was hired in 1795 to design a turret for the building andPaul Revere was commissioned to cast a bell.[19][20][c]
When it became apparent that the Courthouse was out of date, the County Commissioners ordered a new one to be built.[21] They originally were seeking a utilitarian building that would be fireproof and safe to store important documents.[21] Local boosters, however, wanted a building that aligned with the town's rapidly improving self-image.[22]
The land for the courthouse, across the street from the existing one, was purchased fromFrances Ames for $1,200.[21][18] Ames later refused to sell the lot to the east at an asking price of $400, however.[21] Masonic ceremonies, bell ringing and cannon fire accompanied the laying of the cornerstone on July 4, 1825.[21] In 1827, the old courthouse was sold at public auction.[18]
The new building was designed bySolomon Willard[21][23] and was dedicated on February 20, 1827.[18][21] It was a basic rectangular granite-walled structure, 48' by 98' and two stories tall,[18] with Greek-temple porticoes at either end.[23][21] Each 10' portico was supported by four Doric pillars.[18] A bell made byPaul Revere was moved from the old courthouse to the new north portico, where it was tolled to announce court sessions.[20][24]
The interior had a hall running through the center paved with brick.[25] On the eastern side were the offices of the Country Treasurer and the Clerk of Courts.[26] On the western side were the Registry of Deeds and Probate Court.[26] The courtroom was upstairs and featured an arched ceiling.[26] The high sheriff had a desk in the room.[26]
From the outside it was an attractive building, but it was not a comfortable place to work.[21] The only water was provided by a well on Court Street, and it did not have an adequate heating system.[21] One employee complained that it was "barren and destitute of every convenience, demanded for health, comfort and decency."[21] In 1846, an iron fence was installed around the perimeter.[24]
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.[27] A sign was nailed to a tree out front informing the public of its location.[27] It then moved to the originalNorfolk County Courthouse and remained there for about three decades.[27] When the newNorfolk County Courthouse was built in 1827, the middle office on the west side of the lower level was used by the Registry.[27] 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.[27] The Boston firmPeabody & 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 fromDeer Isle, Maine.[28]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 444 square miles (1,150 km2), of which 396 square miles (1,030 km2) is land and 48 square miles (120 km2) (11%) is water.[29] It is the third-smallest county in Massachusetts by total area. The county is not completelycontiguous; the towns ofBrookline andCohasset are each part of Norfolk County but are separated from the majority of Norfolk County (and each other) by either water or other counties. At the county's formation,Hingham andHull were to be part of it, but joinedPlymouth County instead, leaving Cohasset as the initialexclave of Norfolk County and anenclave of Plymouth County. Brookline became the second exclave of Norfolk County in 1873 when the neighboring town ofWest Roxbury was annexed byBoston (thus leaving Norfolk County to joinSuffolk County) and Brookline refused to be annexed by Boston after theBrookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873.
Of the 248,827 households 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.20% were married couples living together, 9.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.30% were non-families. 26.80% of households were one person and 10.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.14.
The age distribution was 23.40% under the age of 18, 7.00% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.60 males.
The median household income was $63,432 and the median family income was $77,847 (these figures had risen to $77,294 and $95,243 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[37]). Males had a median income of $51,301 versus $37,108 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,484. About 2.90% of families and 4.60% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.
As of the2010 United States census, there were 670,850 people, 257,914 households, and 168,903 families residing in the county.[38] The population density was 1,693.6 inhabitants per square mile (653.9/km2). There were 270,359 housing units at an average density of 682.5 per square mile (263.5/km2).[39] The racial makeup of the county was 82.3% white, 8.6% Asian, 5.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.3% of the population.[38] The largest ancestry groups were:[40]
31.8% Irish
15.5% Italian
11.0% English
7.0% German
4.6% French
4.3% Chinese
4.1% Polish
3.2% Russian
3.1% American
2.8% Scottish
2.6% French Canadian
2.4% Scotch-Irish
2.0% West Indian
2.0% Sub-Saharan African
1.9% Portuguese
1.8% Swedish
1.6% Indian
1.4% Arab
1.4% Greek
1.2% Canadian
1.1% Vietnamese
1.1% Lithuanian
Of the 257,914 households, 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 27.6% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age was 40.7 years.[38]
The median income for a household in the county was $81,027 and the median family income was $101,870. Males had a median income of $68,070 versus $51,870 for females. The per capita income for the county was $42,371. About 4.1% of families and 6.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.[41]
Population density of Norfolk County by census block (2020)[42]
The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census-designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[43][44][45]
County Commissioners are elected for a four-year term; two Commissioners are elected to coincide with presidential elections, and one Commissioner is elected during the midterm elections. All three Commissioners must hail from a different municipality. The District Attorney is elected every four years coinciding with the midterm elections. The Clerk of Courts and Register of Deeds are elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class I US Senators. The County Treasurer and Register of Probate are elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class II US Senators. The Sheriff is elected every six years coinciding with the elections of Class III US Senators.
Like the rest of Massachusetts, Norfolk County is aDemocratic stronghold in terms of federal politics. The last time it voted for aRepublican presidential candidate was in1984, duringRonald Reagan's landslide victory in which he carried every state exceptMinnesota.
In contrast, at the state level the county frequently supports Republican gubernatorial candidates, having done so all but once between 1990 and 2018.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 13, 2010[58]
Note:West Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1874),Roxbury (annexed to Boston 1868),Dorchester (founded 1630, annexed to Boston 1870),Hyde Park (incorporated 1868 from Dorchester, Milton, and Dedham, annexed to Boston 1912), andHingham andHull were originally part of Norfolk County when the county was incorporated in 1793. As of August 2012,Hingham's Precinct 2 will be part of the Fourth Norfolk District.[61]
^Timothy Gay Jr. was the jail keeper and was indicted, but acquitted, in the escape ofJason Fairbanks.[10]
^Hanson is not clear in which year they first met.[11]
^The bell was moved to the new courthouse, and the last record of the cupola was in 1817. It disappeared sometime after that.[20]
^Foord lived on School Street near theCentre School and Franklin Square in Dedham. He was the father of James. His wife "was an active, sprightly woman, who was interested in every good social enterprise."[56]
^Foord was the son of Enos. He moved to California following his father's death with his mother.[57]
^ab"History". Norfolk County Sheriff's Office. Archived fromthe original on December 23, 2016. RetrievedOctober 25, 2016.
^abcdefRegisters of Deeds The Modern Years, Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, 225th Anniversary Notable Land Records Project
^abcdeRegisters of Deeds The Early Years, Norfolk County Registry of Deeds: Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, 225th Anniversary Notable Land Records Project
History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men, by Duane Hamilton Hurd. Published by J.W. Lewis & Co., 1884. 1001 pages.
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