Historic Sites & Museums

Dwight Derby House
Medfield, Massachusetts

Continuously occupied as a homestead since 1651, the Dwight Derby House property is the last intact remnant of Medfield's original 17th century village landscape. The development of the Dwight Derby landscape can be traced from 1650 when Timothy Dwight laid claim to one of the thirteen original village lots. From the 17 th through the 19 th centuries the house and associated parcel were listed in inventories and deeds descriptions indicating that some land was used for agriculture. The Dwights and the Townsend-Derbys owned the landscape until 1948. In 1996 the Town of Medfield acquired the Dwight Derby House and property for the purpose of historic preservation.

Originally consisting of twelve acres on a rectangular lot, the landscape was reduced to less than one acre over time. Research of the Dwight Derby property wrought fragmentary evidence of the historic landscape character. Tantalizing threads of the colonial and Colonial Revival landscape emerged and were recorded in an illustrated narrative and period plans. Existing conditions were studied and remnants of the Colonial Revival gardens identified. The overall integrity of the site was determined to be moderate due to losses and additions to the landscape over recent decades. Current and projected uses and programs were directed toward community history education with a target toward grammar school curriculum fulfillment. Based on the federal preservation guidelines, various treatment options were explored. Rehabilitation was selected due to limited documentation and the planned uses and programs to be accommodated. Heritage Landscapes also developed a landscape preservation maintenance plan to guide tree, shrub, perennial, turf, drive, walk, fence and ADA - access maintenance. The final report was presented at a public meeting and adopted by The Friends of the Dwight Derby House for implementation. This modest project provided a plan for phased implementation and historic landscape and social history materials for the local history presentation to school groups.

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