William B. Gould Memorial Park

William B. Gould was born into slavery in Wilmington, N.C. in 1837. During the Civil War, Gould escaped with seven others on September 21, 1862 by sailing 28 miles down the Cape Fear River where he was picked up by the USS Cambridge. He served for the rest of the war in the United States Navy, chasing Confederate ships to shores as far away as the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, and England. While in the Navy, Gould kept a diary that is today one of only three known diaries kept by slaves during the Civil War.

After the war, Gould married Cornelia Read and settled on Milton Street in East Dedham. The couple raised 8 children, 2 girls and six boys in Dedham. William B. Gould went on to be a well respected citizen known as a trusted contractor and serving in the veteran's organization, The Grand Army of the Republic. He died here in Dedham 1923.

William B. Gould was born into slavery in Wilmington, N.C. in 1837. During the Civil War, Mr. Gould escaped with seven others on September 21, 1862, by sailing 28 miles down the Cape Fear River where he was picked up by the USS Cambridge. While in the Navy, Gould kept a diary that is today one of only three known diaries kept by African American sailors during the Civil War. The diary fell into obscurity after the Civil War and remained unnoticed for many years. When a son of William B. Gould died in 1958, the diary was discovered in the attic of the house. The diary, previously unknown to the family, became the basis of the book, Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor published by Professor William B. Gould IV in  2002. It is the only naval diary known to have been kept by a previously enslaved Black during the Civil War or War of the Rebellion. William B. Gould is quoted in the diary referring to his time in the Navy as "serving Uncle Samuel" and fighting for the "holiest of all causes".

William B. Gould served tours of duty with the U.S.S. Cambridge, a second assignment aboard the U.S.S. Niagara, chasing Confederate ships to shores as far away as the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and England.. He served three years until 1865 until the end of the war, he was discharged honorably from the Navy at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

After the war, Gould settled on Milton Street in East Dedham with his wife, Cornelia. There they raised two daughters and six sons while he worked as a building contractor and plasterer. Among his notable works are the plaster work of the Bellamy Mansion in North Carolina and St. Mary's Church in Dedham. All six sons went on to serve in the Armed services during the Spanish American War and the Great War, World War 1.

While living in Dedham, Gould became a pillar of the community, including as one of the founding members of the Church of the Good Shepard in Oakdale Square and serving as commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. He also regularly spoke to school children on Memorial Day and presided over the town's celebrations of the holiday When William B. Gould died in 1923, the Dedham Transcript reported his death under the headline "East Dedham Mourns Faithful Soldier and Always Loyal Citizen: Death Came Very Suddenly to William B. Gould, Veteran of the Civil War." He is buried in Brookdale Cemetery in Dedham.

In September of 2021, this park was dedicated in honor of William B. Gould. In attendance were family members including three generations of William B. Goulds, IV, V and VI as well as state and local leaders and clergy from both churches listed above. Future plans call for a plaza and the installation of a statue of William B. Gould.

Diary of a Contraband, Stanford Press, 2002 by William B. Gould IV.