Thomas Sawin Homestead - Natick, MA
Posted by: NorStar
N 42° 15.253 W 071° 19.857
19T E 307721 N 4680633
The oldest part of this house was built in around 1696 and lived in by Thomas Sawin, one of the earliest white settlers in Natick, which, at the time was still a Praying Indian town.
Waymark Code: WMEJH9
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 06/04/2012
Views: 1
In Natick, along South Street, is a white house that is known as the Thomas Sawin Homestead. The oldest part of the house, according to a painted rock in the basement, was built in 1696 and was lived in by one of the first white settlers in Natick.
The house is a colonial style building that is just feet from the road. It lies within the Broadmoor Massachusetts Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. The plaque on the house has two dates: 1688 and 1770. There are several interesting features to the house. There are two floors. The second floor very slightly juts out over the first. It has a hip roof on the top.
Thomas Sawin came to Natick around the time the house was built. Sawin built grist and sawmills in the area, including a gristmill within Broadmoor Sanctuary. Ruins are still visible there. Go to the nature center for a map (there is a fee to enter the sanctuary if you are not a member of Massachusetts Audubon) to find the site. At the time, Natick was still a Praying Indian Town. This was a type of mission village originally founded in 1651 by Reverend John Eliot. Sawin was one of the first white settlers in this area. Eventually, the area would be overtaken with white settlers and, thus, Natick then would transition to a town like every other town in the commonwealth.
The house looks uninhabited, right now. A blog stated that Mass. Audubon cannot maintain the house and the house is now threatened with demolition.
Let's hope it doesn't come down to that.
Sources:
Boston 1775 [Blog] (Thomas Sawin Homestead in Natick: 1692-?):
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visit link)
Natick Patch.com (Three Centuries and Eleven Generations):
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visit link)