Westwood
Old Town Pound. Incorporated April 2, 1897. Part of Dedham, 1636-1897.
Town Pound Adoption
The
Historical Society planted flowering shrubs and perennials at the Town
Pound as part of the Town’s ‘Adopt An Island’ program. How
appropriate that the Society beautify this particular location! What an
opportunity to improve the important historic landmark, the symbol of
Westwood, which appears on the Town Seal! Westwood Brownie Troop under the
direction of Nancy Hyde planted marigolds adding a bit of color to the
historic site. The Town Pound is part of the first land grant made
"beyond ye rockes" and located on High Street near the
intersection of Route 128. In 1700 Lt. Joseph Colburn was hired to build a
pound there for 40 shillings. The pound in early communities served as a
place to keep errant animals until claimed by their owners. The original
wooden fence was replaced some years later by the present stone wall. In
1899 the Massachusetts Legislature enacted a law requiring every city and
town to adopt an official town seal. Lucius Damrell’s sketch of the Town
Pound was chosen for the official Westwood Town Seal. Originally the Pound
had one magnificent oak tree within its walls, which was felled by the
1938 hurricane. The age of that tree depends on the author and ranges from
200 to 600 years old. A young white oak was planted which is thriving and
hopefully will withstand the traffic for future generations. Lura Provost
has designed a suitable plan, using appropriate 18th century native
plants, being careful not to include any invasive or exotic specimens.
Davey Tree of Norwood has pruned and fertilized the trees as a community
service project. Ron Chiurri is the "Keeper of the Pound", mows
the grass and maintains the historic site. The white oak in the center of
the pound is ailing from oak anthracnose, a rare fungus disease for oak
trees. The tree may loose its leaves, then releaf and recover.
