November Speaker Series: Dedham's War Memorials

612 High Street,Dedham MA 02026

16 November, 2022

Description

War Memorials, what could be less controversial that honoring those who served our country and those who made the ultimate sacrifice? But, somehow it hasn’t turned out that way in Dedham. Stuart Christie, a Dedham resident of over 40 years, a Vietnam War veteran, and an amateur historian will provide a look at the town’s fascinating history in dealing with designing and implementing war memorials. Starting as early as 1766, proposals for these monuments gave rise to pitched battles between conflicting ideologies: Rebel versus Tory; Federalist versus Republican (the old style one); America Firster (another old style one) versus Interventionist; Fiscal Conservative versus Free Spender; and just about every other faction in our town’s history. This story includes such personalities as Congressman Fisher Ames, local resident Benjamin Fairbanks, former Boston mayor (and convicted felon) James Michael Curley, historians Erastus Worthington and Frank Smith, and many others. And then we have the $7,000 typo! You’ll find out what happened in the days before Spell Check and the designers were working with granite. Christie will explore the origins, the budgeting, the political battles, and the final construction of the town’s many war monuments from the French and Indian War through Operation Desert Storm. He’ll examine the memorials not only to the wars, but also specific men who served in those wars as well as events surrounding the wars. He’ll also cover the mysterious placement of some of these monuments, which, because they have been “hidden in plain sight” for years, have received little or no public notice. While many of the monuments are the traditional bronze plaques affixed to building walls or stone slabs, others are buildings themselves and major open spaces. Some are well identified; others have no marking at all. And they’re everywhere. Please join us for this intriguing examination of Dedham’s War Memorials. Free to Veterans and museum members; nonmembers: $10. To become a member, visit www.dedhamhistorical.org