Contemporary inscription by Sarah F. Wood and Robert Curnman February 1866
Edna Dean Proctor (1827-1923), Inspired by events leading up to the Civil War, she became well known for her patriotic poetry supporting the Union cause. The first volume of her collected poems was published in 1866.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow showed his appreciation of her poetry by including many of her productions in his “Poems of Places.” She was friends with John Greenleaf Whittier, Edna never married. She died in December 1922/23 at the age of 95. While living in S. Framingham she had belonged to the Boston Authors' Club and was considered a part of literary Boston. She was described as “a charming woman of great beauty and a winning friendliness of manner.”