By Riley Fontana
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Dwight-Derby House, a historic home in Medfield, has long been admired by surrounding communities. In recognition of its significance, the Sherborn Council on Aging hosted a discussion about the property at the Sherborn Library. The event, titled “Revisiting the Dwight-Derby House,” was a great success and well-received by the crowd.
Geoff Sauter, the President of The Friends of the Dwight-Derby House, hosted the talk. Most of the audience knew of the house but not its long history behind it, the house was built in 1651 and was occupied until 1984. The town of Medfield bought the house in 1996 when the preservation process began.
The house was first built by Timothy Dwight who was one of the founders of Medfield. He lived in the house with his family and worked on the farm on the property. John Barton Derby married into the property in 1820 but when his wife Mary left him, she took control of the house running a bonnet shop from the property.
George Horatio Derby was Mary and John's son and the most famous part of the story. He was a troublemaker and shifted around from several schools until he settled at West Point. After West Point, he became a very successful satire writer who was loved by presidents and war generals. Sauter commented on the fame of Derby saying: “Not only do we have an old house but we have the history of a famous person. The father of satire.”
The Dwight-Derby house is always expanding and they are currently adding in Mary’s bonnet shop. “If you want to hear the whole thing, come on down and have a tour,” Sauter commented. Tours are available most days of the week by appointment, those interested just have to reach out through the website: dwightderbyhouse.org.
There is a rich history to the Dwight-Derby house including battles and several families. “It’s more of a story for the world than just Medfield,” Sauter said to end his talk. There is far too much history within the house to pack into an hour-long conversation which is why Sauter encourages all to come and take a tour.
