Westwood's Fisher School Listed Among 1,000 Greatest Places in Mass.

What does Westwood's Fisher School have in common with Plymouth Rock? The two are among the top 1,000 places to visit in Massachusetts.

The Fisher School was the only spot in Westwood named on The Great Places of Massachusetts Commission's list of 1,000 places to visit in the state, which was released this week.

The goal behind the list, which Gov. Deval Patrick created in January 2009, is to boost tourism around Massachusetts. The list also gives local residents a chance to see some of the state's incredible landmarks, such as Beacon Hill, The Bunker Hill Monument, and, of course, Westwood's Fisher School.

The Fisher School was built in 1845 on Clapboardtree Street in District 9 of West Dedham, according to the Westwood Historical Society's website. When Dedham schools were given names instead of numbers in 1867, the District 9 School was named after Ebenezer Fisher, a prosperous local farmer, legislator, and Revolutionary War veteran. It is the only one-room schoolhouse still in existence in Westwood or Dedham. 

Adding to that, the school closed in 1905 when enrollment dropped. William Colburn purchased the schoolhouse and moved it to its Milk Street location where it was used to store hay. The Fisher School now serves as the headquarters for the Westwood Historical Society.

While the mention of the Fisher School as one of the top 1,000 places to visit in the state certainly puts Westwood on the map, the building is not the only spot of its kind in town worthy of mention on a state-wide scale.

"If there are 351 towns in the state and 1,000 places, I think they should maybe have a couple more for Westwood," said Dave Atkins, chairman of the Westwood Pedestrian and Bike Safety Committee, and editor and writer for Westwood Blog. "It seems more like a historical landmark than a place to visit, but I know they do have some events there throughout the year."

Atkins himself has begun a list of 100 reasons to live in Westwood through the Westwood Blog. While the list is not finished, there are 36 places, ideas and reasons as to why people should call Westwood home. He asked the public to submit ideas, much like the recent 1,000 places list. Some responses, Atkins said, included Buckmaster Pond, easy access to Interstate 95, and even the fact that residents are allowed to keep livestock.

Atkins explained that while the Fisher School is a historical landmark in town, he felt that some places were more deserving as a great place to visit. This includes well-known spots like Bubbling Brook, Lowell Woods and the Hale Reservation.

Atkins' list was in response to "100 Reasons to Live in Dedham," which was recently posted on Dedhamrocks.com, which is run by Donahue Real Estate. The posting was enough to inspire and motivate Atkins.

"I wanted to do the same with Westwood," said Atkins. "I got some ideas from the community through a blog post from about 6 months ago."

The Great Places in Massachusetts Commission accepted suggestions for its list from the public during the past several months. After receiving about 13,000 e-mails and nominations from representatives around the state, the Commission compiled the current list. The Commission encourages state-wide residents to submit nominations through Massvacation.com.