Jeremiah Shuttleworth ((1760-12-24)December 24, 1760 – (1858-10-11)October 11, 1858) was a merchant and postmaster from Dedham, Massachusetts.

Shuttleworth married Susanna "Sukey" Richards on February 1, 1798, and they were the parents of four children, including Hannah, Sam, and Jerry.^{[1][2][3][lower-alpha 1]} He was an incorporator of St. Paul's Church and served on the vestry.^[4] His sister, Melitiah Shuttleworth, married Nathaniel Ames.^[4][5]

Shuttleworth died October 11, 1858.^[2]

Jeremiah ran the West India Goods store out of his home, located at the corner of Church and High Streets.^[6][7][8][3] It was likely the first permanent grocery store in Dedham.^[8]

On April 1, 1795, Shuttleworth was appointed Dedham's first postmaster.^{[6][5][8][3][lower-alpha 2]} The post office, one of the first in the country, was housed in the store, where he would place all the mail on a table.^[6][8] Residents would come into the store and help themselves to any letters addressed to them.^[6] Shuttleworth was replaced as postmaster 38 years later, in 1833, by Dr. Elisha Thayer.^[6][3] At his resignation in 1833, it was thought he was the oldest postmaster in the country.^[2]

Shuttleworth leased a lot of land from St. Paul's Church at the corner of Church and High Streets.^[9] The minister, William Montague, referred to the intersection as "Jere Square" in his honor.^[9] The window shutters, which were painted green, were never opened.^[3] In front of the store were scales for weighing hay.^[3]

For many years, important notices were tacked to a buttonwood tree in front of the house.^{[10][11][lower-alpha 3]} It was where, for example, the first notice of Abraham Lincoln's death was posted.^[11] Local tradition holds that the first notice posted there was a $50 reward for a stolen horse.^[11] During the Civil War, when a soldier drilling pulled out an umbrella during a shower, he was hung in effigy from the tree.^[12][13]

Shuttleworth left the house to Hannah, and upon her death she left it to the Dedham Historical Society.^[14] The Historical Society sold the Shuttleworth home, which was moved to Bryant St, and custom built a new building for themselves on the lot.^[15][7]

In 1936, Charles Mills painted a portrait of his house, where his shop and post office were.^[16] It is currently in the collection of the Historical Society and was cleaned and conserved in 2016.^[16]