Community Corner
FINAL WEEK, Thursday's "Medfield Historical Minute"
Week 52 of "Medfield Historical Minutes" concludes this series, thanks to Richard DeSorgher for sharing these during this year of Covid-19.
For the final week of the year-long Medfield Historical Minutes, each of the days will represent an important event in Medfield history that had a major and “game changing” impact on the town.
A Medfield Historical Minute...
This is the final week of "Medfield Historical Minutes" brought to you by town historian, Richard DeSorgher.
Although the Coronavirus is still part of our daily lives, there is hope on the horizon that we will not be isolated too much longer as vaccinations are now taking place. Medfield Historical
Minutes were Richard's way of "giving you a little break during this time of boredom during
isolation" by sharing his knowledge of Medfield history. A huge thank you to Richard for his time and dedication to sharing the history of Medfield with our community for one full year.
Find out what's happening in Medfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"On May 1, 1896 a proclamation was read by His Honor, Roger Walcott, acting governor, establishing the “Medfield Insane Asylum.” It was built to relieve the overcrowding of other state facilities. The asylum consisted of twenty-five buildings and a large barn. It was built in a “cottage” design on 425 acres of land purchased by the state from Judge Robert R. Bishop and Moses B. H. Bishop. Within ten years there were 1,554 residents at the Medfield institution. By the 1920s the population at the hospital surpassed 2,000 and exceeded that of the town itself. From the 1920s into the 1950s the hospital and town populations were about equal. The hospital also became the largest employer for the town.
The hospital farm was to play a very important role in the lives of the patients and in the economy of the hospital for many years until farming was ended in the 1960s.
Find out what's happening in Medfieldfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
In 1959 a new rehabilitation program was organized to make more effective use of work as treatment. Patients able to work were encouraged to have a job. Under this program many patients were discharged back into the community resulting in a lowering of the hospital census. The state decided to close the hospital in 2003."