Stuart Christie\, a Dedham resident of ove
r 46 years\, a Vietnam War veteran\, and an amateur historian\, will provi
de a look at the town&rsquo\;s fascinating history in dealing with
de
signing and implementing war memorials.
Starting as early as 1766\
, proposals for these monuments gave rise to pitched battles between confl
icting ideologies: Rebel versus Tory\; Federalist versus Republican (theold style one)\; America Firster (another old style one) versus Interv
entionist\; Fiscal Conservative versus Free Spender\; and just about every
other faction in our town&rsquo\;s
history.
This story inclu
des such personalities as Congressman Fisher Ames\, local resident Benjami
n Fairbanks\, former Boston mayor (and convicted felon) James Michael Curl
ey\,
historians Erastus Worthington and Frank Smith\, and many others
.
And then we have the $7\,000 typo! You&rsquo\;ll find out what h appened in the days before Spell Check and the designers were working with granite.
\nStuart will explore the origins\, the political battles\
, and the numerous construction missteps of the town&rsquo\;s many war mon
uments from the French and Indian War through
Operation Desert Storm.
We&rsquo\;ll examine the memorials no only to the wars\, but also specifi
c men who served in those wars\, as well as events surrounding the wars. W
e&rsquo\;ll
also cover the mysterious placement of some of these monu
ments which because they have been &ldquo\;hidden in plain sight&rdquo\; f
or years\, have received little or no public notice.
While many of
the monuments are the traditional bronze plaques affixed to building wall
s or stone slabs\, others are buildings themselves and major open spaces.
Some
are well identified\; others have no marking at all. And they&rs
quo\;re everywhere. Please join us for this fascinating examination of Ded
ham&rsquo\;s War Memorials.
For adults. Registration required. Please email Brittany at btuttle.ddm @minlib.net with questions. This event is presented in collaboration w ith The Fairbanks House Museum.
\nAbout the Presenter:< /strong>
\nStuart has been a Dedham resident for over 46 years and a docent at the Fairbanks House for the past 12 years. Additionally\, he se rved on the Board of the Dedham Museum &\; Archive and led tours on the 17th century Puritan history in Boston for the Partnership of Historic Bo stons. Several years ago\, Stuart transcribed Civil War era letters that w ere published through the Dedham Museum for a book titled My Dear Moth er: Civil War Letters to Dedham from the Lathrop Brothers. Stuart and his wife currently divide their time between their homes in Dedham and Ma rtha's Vineyard.
\nAbout The Fairbanks House Museum:
\nThe Fairbanks House in Dedham\, MA is the oldest known timber frame house still standing in North America. Built circa 1637 for J onathan and Grace Fairbanks and their six children\, it was home to eight generations of the Fairbanks family over the course of 269 years. The Fair banks House is now a historic house museum and on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the Fairbanks House at \;at 511 East Street\, Dedham\, Massachusetts\, at the corner of East Street and Eastern Avenue. Contact the Fairbanks House at homestead@fairbankshouse.org \;or conne ct on Facebook or Instagram. \;
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