Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 25 text:

The present Wellesley was once the northern part of Dedham, settled in 1636 by 19 men who were granted territory both north and south of the Charles River that today embraces nearly a dozen towns. The first white settler in the area now Wellesley was Andrew Dewing, who in 1659 was granted land on which he built a garrison house. Most of the early settlers located their dwellings nearer the center of Dedham. This community was called “Continent” by the people, but the first pastor was from Dedham, Eng¬ land, and so the settlement was renamed Dedham. In those days a man had to belong to the local church in order to have the privilege of voting. Most of what is now Dedham, Needham and Wel¬ lesley belonged to Chief Nehoiden and his tribe. In 1680, the inhabitants of Dedham wished to obtain clear titles to their land. Therefore they gave Nehoiden ten pounds in English currency, forty shillings worth of Indian corn and forty acres of their land. A similar transaction was made that same year with Chief Maugus for land extending to Natick and Weston. As Dedham grew, the citizens toward the west desired to form a separate town with their own church. In 1710, they presented a petition to the General Court for the incorporation of a second town. That request was opposed by Dedham, but another was granted in 1711. The new town was called Needham after Need¬ ham, England. 1774 iR ' ic Ce r 0 Wellesley Congregational Church (used in NuHMt j laced Church Street, ’then part of main road to (drawing by late Wm. L. Taylor from description.) Courtesy Wellesley Historical Society While all this settling was taking place, industry was also beginning to grow. In 1704 Benjamin Mills built a sawmill in what is now Wellesley Lower Falls. He was also the owner of the Mills Inn where royal gover¬ nors and other dignitaries often stopped on their way from the coast to inland towns. Other kinds of mills followed for the next two hundred years to produce iron, leather, snuff, paper, machinery, chocolate, chemi¬ cals and paint, to name a few products. Stories about people in the Lower Falls and other parts of West Needham (now Wellesley) as well as in South Natick were collected by Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom ' s Cabin. This new book was named Old Town Folks. In the meantime, Needham was having its troubles. Its first meetinghouse burned down. Up to this time the town had been a single parish divided geographi¬ cally by a plain about in the center. With the loss of the meetinghouse, the people in the west part of Need¬ ham wanted a church located nearer their part of town. An argument ensued between the residents of the two sections and there was much bitterness between them. When a small majority voted to rebuild the meet¬ inghouse on the original site, the result was a split between the sections. Finally, in 1774, the residents in the west acquired authority to establish the West Parish and eventually erected their own meetinghouse. The Reverend Thomas Noyes was ordained the first minister of the West Parish and remained in this position for thirty-four years. The west meetinghouse was located on the present site of the Village Church (Wellesley Con¬ gregational) but faced Church Street. (Central Street was designed much later.) 21

Page 24 text:

Historical Credits. One of the most difficult tasks which faced the Wellesleyan editors this year was the researching and writing of the one hundred years of Wellesley history. In this huge undertaking , we were immeas¬ urably aided by Mrs. Katharine Healy and Colonel Laurence Bunker. We extend our deepest apprecia¬ tion and heartfelt thanks to Miss Margaret Urann who gave her time , energy, and unique understand¬ ing of Wellesley history to the publication of this Centennial edition. OVERLEAF. Wellesley Hills Station in its early years. A student schedule from the year 1876-1877. Artwork by Sal Simone. 20

Page 26 text:

The East and West Parishes of Needham were separated mainly by geographic location. The inhabitants of both were primarily mill operators or farmers who were dependent on the sale of products from the mills, and of wood, faggote, and barrel hoops, to provide the necessities of life they were unable to raise. In spite of this common bond, residents of Needham ' s East and West Parishes had difficulty in maintain¬ ing good relations with one another. Those in the West Parish made several attempts to establish a separate town but they were unsuccessful over a long period. In 1851 the part of West Needham that is now Wellesley Hills became Grantville in honor of Moses Grant, who had given a bell for the first edifice of the Wellesley Hills Con¬ gregational Church (established in 1847). At that time West Needham, as a whole, was a country community with no water system, sidewalks, street lights, gas or electricity, telephones, police force or fire department. In 1874, street lamps were ac¬ quired, in the late 1870 ' s telephones began to appear, and other “new fangled contraptions” followed. The Hunnewell Gardens, with Wellesley College Hall in the distance. Courtesy Wellesley Historical Society In any history of Wellesley, one name stands out; that of Hunnewell. During 1852 Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, who in 1836 had married Isabella Pratt Welles, called their newly completed mansion “Wellesley” after her family. Around it he developed several beautiful and elaborate gardens that soon became famous, drawing folks from far and near. The flower in our town seal symbolizes these gardens. Finally, when West Needham “packed” a town meeting at the Poor Farm (now the Wellesley Country Club), the citizens of the west voted to separate from the east. With the approval of the Legislature, the incorporation went into effect on April 6, 1881. The new town was named Wellesley for Mr. Hunne- well’s generosity over several decades. The population was 2,600; the tax rate $9.50 per thousand during the first year. 22