Community Corner
Twenty-sixth Week, Tuesday's "Medfield Historical Minute"
A little something to read and learn to give you a little break during this time of boredom during isolation due to the Coronavirus Crisis.
A Medfield Historical Minute...
This "Medfield Historical Minute" is brought to you by town historian Richard DeSorgher.
A little something to read and learn to give you a little break during this time of boredom during isolation due to the Coronavirus Crisis. A different "Medfield Historical Minute" will appear each day during the Crisis.
"During the first 25 years of Medfield’s settlement few new names appeared. The town and surrounding area were at first infested with wolves, bears and wildcats, as well as foxes and smaller predatory animals. The last bear killed in Medfield was in 1730. Wolves were the most destructive to young livestock. Wolf hunts were common practice. Sport was made with capture or wounded wolves by worrying them with dogs similar to the old bear-hunts in England. Blackbirds were very numerous and destructive and the town offered a bounty of sixpence a dozen for their heads. Rattlesnakes were found here, especially in the Rocky Woods area. Fox and squirrel hunts were also frequent. Fur bearing animals were common and a great number of beaver and raccoon skins were sent to market and formed a considerable source of income to the people. Game was plenty, with wild turkey, pigeons, ducks and geese to be had for shooting; deer were also often seen. The last moose killed in Medfield was in 1745."
