Upcoming Events at Dedham Museum & Archive! April 16th: Speaker Series Talk: Bird's-Eye-View Maps of Dedham and Beyond April 25th & 26th: Walking Tours in the Dedham Town Forest To learn more, visit www.dedhammuseum.org or click on https://mailchi.mp/01256bb5a0d3/april-programs-at-dedham-museum-18160912 (fb)

April 4, 2025---On this date in 1956, the cornerstone of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company’s new telephone exchange building was laid. Among the gathered dignitaries were selectmen, telephone company officials, the town’s postmaster, police chief Walter Carroll, State Representative Francis Harding, Father William Kennedy of St. Mary’s Parish who delivered an invocation, and Reverend Leland Maxfield of the Westwood Baptist Church who delivered a benediction. A metal receptacle containing “records and memoranda which describe fully and graphically the town of Dedham as it exists today” was placed inside the cornerstone. Construction had begun on the building in late 1955 after the 88-year old wooden J. Everett Smith Market building was demolished. The new facility eventually enabled Dedham to begin direct dialing (without operator assistance) and the town was assigned the exchanges DAvis-6 and DAvis-9. Today, with fewer customers using land-lines, the facility is mainly a switching center for FIOS internet/telephone/television users. Dedham Museum & Archive #dedhammuseumandarchive #dedhammuseum #dedhamma #dedham #TelephoneHistory #newenglandtelephonecompany (fb)