The Origins of the Westwood Town Pound

The Westwood Town Pound wasn't always the property of Westwood. Originally, the pound belonged to Dedham, as Westwood was known as West Dedham until 1897.

The pound itself was built in 1700 by Lieutenant Joseph Colburn, who paid forty schillings for its construction.

When it was first built, the pound was surrounded by a wooden wall, but shortly after a stone fence was built instead. This fence is one of many historical stone fences in Westwood. These historical fences can be found all over Massachusetts, and are so historically important that it is actually a crime to disturb any of these walls.

"[The Town Pound] was mainly used if somebody's stock wandered off," said John Pritchard, a Westwood resident and member of the Westwood Historical Society.

At the time, the Westwood area was a large dairy community.

"If you lost your cow, you'd go down the road to the Town Pound to find it," Pritchard said.

But the Town Pound wasn't only used for animals. If you lost anything, you could possibly find it at the building; it basically served as a lost-and-found for Westwood. Most towns in Massachusetts had a town pound at one point, but there aren't too many still around.

The Town Pound is even featured on the Westwood Town Seal, although the oak tree in the picture is no longer standing. The original oak was considered a "magnificent oak," and was thought to be around six hundred years old when it was destroyed in The Hurricane of 1938. 

After 1938, many replacement trees were planted but did not survive. Since then, the Westwood Young Women's Club has joined the Westwood Historical Society and taken the responsibility of restoring the landmark.

In 1899, legislature enacted a law requiring all towns in the state of Massachusetts to have a town seal. Residents were encouraged to submit ideas for the town seal, and Lucius Damrell (a descendent of Nathaniel Colburn) was the artist who drew the winning sketch for the Westwood Town Seal.

The Town Pound was at one time one of the more prominent structures in town, but renovations to the roads have moved it off to the sidelines and made it less visible.

"They widened 128 (roads) in 1950, then they widened High Street. So it isn't as visible anymore," said Pritchard.

A new sign was erected at the same location about a year ago, replacing the older yellow chipped sign that stood there before.

The Westwood Town Pound is an important town landmark, and the famous oak has been made immortal by the Westwood Town Seal. And while the pound may no longer be in use, it is still preserved mainly for historical reasons.