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Church of the Good Shepherd (Dedham, Massachusetts)

The Church of the Good Shepherd is an Episcopal church in Dedham, Massachusetts and the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

Church of the Good Shepherd
Map
42°14′29″N 71°9′19″W / 42.24139°N 71.15528°W / 42.24139; -71.15528
Address62 Cedar St, Dedham, MA 02026
CountryUnited States
DenominationEpiscopal
Websitewww.thechurchofthegoodshepherd.com
History
ConsecratedNovember 2, 1876
Architecture
GroundbreakingJune 8, 1876
Administration
DioceseMassachusetts
Clergy
Priest(s)Chitral De Mel

History

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See also: St. Paul's Church (Dedham, Massachusetts) and Dedham, Massachusetts in the American Revolution § Tories

The first group of Anglicans in Dedham began meeting in Clapboardtrees in 1731.[1] A few decades later, Samuel Colburn[a] died in the Crown Point Expedition of 1756.[2] Though he was not an Anglican, he left almost his entire estate to the Anglican community in Dedham to establish St. Paul's Church.[2]

Charles C. Sanderson, who sold the building lots in Oakdale, also erected a building containing a public hall and a store.[3] A mission Sunday school was begun by lay readers from St. Paul's in the Sanderson Building on June 8, 1873[3] for Anglicans in the Oakdale section of town who could not get to the church easily.[4] Soon after, on the 29th of the same month, public services of the Episcopal Church were begun in Sanderson Hall and for three years they were conducted by lay readers.[3]

The mission was funded by the family of Horatio Chickering, a member of St. Paul's.[3][5] In 1874, Chickering purchased a lot of land for the purpose of building a church.[3] He died in the spring of 1875 but he made provision in his will for the erection of the church.[3] Besides the gifts of the church and land by Chickering, the parish received other bequests from his widow, Lucy Lee Chickering, and from his sisters.[3] In the church were placed memorial windows in memory of Chickering and his sisters, Mrs. DF Adams and Miss HB Chickering.[3]

The parish was organized under the name of the Church of the Good Shepherd[3] and, at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts in 1876, it was voted to accept the Church into union with the convention.[6] William Franklin Cheney was also elected to take charge of the congregation in August 1876.[3][7][b]

The cornerstone of the church was laid by Bishop Benjamin Henry Paddock on June 8, 1876[10] and he consecrated the church just a few months later, on November 2.[11]

Community

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A tradition began the 1880s of youngsters from the community climbing to the top of the bell tower and ringing the bells at midnight on July 4 to celebrate Independence Day.[12]

Beginning in the early 1900s and continuing until the 1990s, bonfires would be held first in Oakdale Square and then in the Manor to celebrate the 4th of July.[13] It would usually begin at midnight, either on July 3 or July 4, when a young person would climb onto the roof of the Church and ring the bell.[13] This would signal others to bring old farm carts they had stolen into Oakdale Square and light them ablaze.[13]

The Church, along with the Dedham Country Day School, were the first to sponsor cub scout packs in Dedham.[14] As of 2023, the Church still sponsors Troop 3 of the Scouts BSA.[15]

When the cornerstone of the Oakdale School was laid in 1902, the Church's rector, Cheney, led the crowd in prayer.[16]

Connection to William B. Gould

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After arriving in Dedham in 1871, William B. Gould signed the Articles of Incorporation and became a founder of the Church.[17][18][19][20][21] He and his wife were baptized and confirmed there in 1878 and 1879.[22]

Gould's family remained active members of the church and, along with the Bonds and one other family, the Chesnuts, were the only black parishioners.[23][c] Four generations of Goulds would ultimately be baptized there.[20]

A pew at the Church is dedicated to William and Cornelia.[25] When a park in Dedham was named in his honor, a sign with Gould's name and image was unveiled by his great-great-great-grandchildren.[26] It was then blessed by the former rector of the Church, Rev. Noble Scheepers.[26] When a statue was unveiled there two years later, it was blessed by Rev. Chitral De Mel, the then-current rector of the Church.[27][28]

Notes

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  1. ^ Colburn was a descendant of Nathaniel Colburn and John Hunting.[2]
  2. ^ Cheney was ordained to the diaconate at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia on June 22, 1876.[8] He was consecrated a priest at the Church of the Good Shepherd by Bishop Paddock on June 5, 1877.[9]
  3. ^ There was only one other black family in Dedham at the time.[18][24]

References

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  1. ^ Hanson 1976, p. 136.
  2. ^ a b c Hanson 1976, p. 165.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hurd 1884.
  4. ^ Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 32.
  5. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1876, p. 20.
  6. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1876, p. 10.
  7. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1876, p. 29.
  8. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1877, p. 31.
  9. ^ "Consecration". The Boston Globe. Vol. XI, no. 136 (morning ed.). June 6, 1877. p. 2.
  10. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1877, p. 29.
  11. ^ Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts 1877, pp. 30, 33.
  12. ^ Parr 2009, p. 103.
  13. ^ a b c Parr, Jim (July 2, 2023). "Circle the Wagons! (Repost from 2010)". Dedham Tales. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  14. ^ Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 123.
  15. ^ William B. Gould Memorial Committee (June 30, 2023). "Thanks to all who helped make the statue of William B. Gould a reality". The Dedham Times. Vol. 31, no. 26. p. 4.
  16. ^ "Dedham". The Boston Globe. 24 March 1902. p. 2.
  17. ^ Gould IV 2002, p. 290.
  18. ^ a b MacQuarrie, Brian (November 21, 2020). "Escaped slave and Navy sailor recounted his remarkable Civil War story in a diary". The Boston Globe.
  19. ^ Alexander 2000, 3748.
  20. ^ a b O’Connor, Brian Wright (October 3, 2012). "William Benjamin Gould's diary traces road to freedom". The Bay State Banner. Boston. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  21. ^ Hannon, Helen (Winter 2008). "Freedom on Nantucket". Historic Nantucket. Vol. 57, no. 1. Nantucket Historical Association.
  22. ^ Gould IV 2002, p. 25.
  23. ^ Alexander 2000, 9179.
  24. ^ Gould IV 2002, p. 43.
  25. ^ Gould IV 2002, p. 278.
  26. ^ a b Hennigan, Caroline (October 1, 2021). ""Faithful Soldier and Always Loyal Citizen"". The Dedham Times. Vol. 29, no. 39. pp. 1, 4.
  27. ^ Hennigan, Caroline; Heald, Scott (June 9, 2023). "William B. Gould, former enslaved person and Civil War Navy Veteran, honored at statue unveiling on Memorial Day Weekend". The Dedham Times. Vol. 31, no. 23. p. 2.
  28. ^ Kool, Daniel (May 28, 2023). "Man who escaped slavery and became Navy veteran honored with statue in Dedham park". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 29, 2023.

  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: Hurd, Duane Hamilton (1884). History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men. J. W. Lewis & Company. pp. 90–91. Retrieved July 3, 2023.

Works cited

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