our history
On November 6, 1711 a community was born. Founded by a collection of about 250 farmers and their families, they named their new settlement Needham, after the English Village of Needham Market. It was a place that would strengthen and grow into what 300 years later would become a sought after community full of civic pride. Prior to the town’s founding, the area was home to Algonquin Native Americans who had lived there for thousands of years. When European settlers arrived in the mid 1600s , they purchased the land from Chief Nehoiden.

Originally part of Dedham, the families of 1711 Needham felt it was too difficult to travel to the Dedham parish church to worship. After approval of their petition to the General Court, Needham’s First Parish Church was born and was located on the original town green at the intersection of Nehoiden Street and Central Avenue, Needham’s first town center. The heartbeat of the township, including the school, the parish house and the local tavern, were located in this vicinity for over 100 years.

Years later, in the mid 1800s, the town’s first rail line to Boston was laid
further south due to the refusal of some landowners to sell their parcels near Nehoiden Street to the railroad. Thus the modern town center of Needham grew
up around the railroad, which was an important tool of commerce for the town.
The First Parish Church even picked up its building and moved it to where is still stands today.

At about this time, industries other than farming began to take shape in Needham, including knitting mills for which the town became known. Still, agriculture remained an important part of Needham’s economy and it was at the turn of the century the first pansy was developed in a greenhouse on South Street. Needham would remain a largely rural community for many more years.

It wasn’t until mid-century, in the 1950s, that Needham’s sense of timelessness began to wane and its economy steered away from knitting and agriculture and toward a modern future. The construction of Route 128 saw a shift in Needham’s demographics toward upper middle class residents and the development of the industrial park where the industry of technology was taking shape. Farms were subdivided and an influx of post World War II families put down roots in the community that endure to this day.

Today Needham is a highly sought after and tightly knit community with excellent services and schools. Needham now looks back on 300 years of history and tradition, on farming and factories, and on generation upon generation of loyal service. It’s a town to be proud of, thanks to a few hundred farmers and their vision of a new township 300 years ago.

(With grateful thanks to the Needham Historical Society)