Natural History Museum/Natick Historical Society - Natick, MA - Historical Society Headquarters on Waymarking.com

In the Natick village of South Natick, is the Bacon Free Library, which sits in a triangular spot bounded by Pleasant Street, Eliot Street (MA Route 16) and Mill Lane. In the basement of this building is the Natural History Museum, which is run by the Natick Historical Society, and is the headquarters for the society as well.

The building is a brick structure that has a pyramidal roof. Over the main entrance facing Eliot Street, in stone, is the text, "Bacon Free Library." On either side are vertical banners. Both design suggest the spine of a book. The one on the left is for the Bacon Free Library. The one on the right is for the Natick Historical Society.

The historical society and museum is in the basement of the building. There you will find a moderate exhibit area of items in cases. The exhibits range from Native Aemrican artifacts from thousands of years ago to items during the time of the "Praying Indian Town" to its industrial development days in the 1800s to the present day. Of particular note are the artifacts from the mid and late 1600s when it was the first and largest Praying Indian Town of Reverend John Eliot. This includes a pulpit that dates from that time, and an edition of the Holy Bible translated into Algonquin.

The historical society also has a library to conduct research, as well as an extensive collection of maps.

Admittance to the museum is free (though donations are always gratefully accepted), and to do research costs $10.

Hours:
Tuesday: 2:00 pm - 8:30 pm Evening
Wednesday: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm Afternoon
Friday 12:00 - 3 pm Afternoon
Saturday: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm Morning

Natick, today, is a very modern town, with industrial and commercial areas and many subdivisions. Currently over 30,000 people live in the town. Before 1651, however, it was considered in the sticks - well away from colonial settlements such as Boston, Watertown, and Dedham. Rev. John Eliot began to preach to Native Americans and found a tribe headed by Waban in an area within the city of Newton today. When the tribe converted to Christianity, they, with Eliot established a community where they could learn about and live as Christians. They established the first of these communities in present day South Natick in 1651. It was successful for over 20 years, and other such communities were established elsewhere. Unfortunately Massasoit's son, Metacomet - also known as King Philip - waged war on the English settlements in 1674-5. This caused distrust in all Native Americans and those in the Indian towns were sent to Deer Island until the conflict ended. After the war, they returned; however, their numbers were drastically reduced and they found that their homes were destroyed. Gradually, Natick transformed from a primarily Indian village to an English town. In the mid 1800s, the railroad came into town and as industry such as the shoes factories and a softball factory grew around the railroad, the center of town moved there. In the 20th century, Natick became an important research and high-tech center, and today is home to such companies as Cognex, Mathworks, and Boston Scientific.

Come to the museum and see the artifacts of Natick history and converse with one of the members!

Address: 58 Eliot Street Natick, MA United States of America 01760 Web Address: [Web Link] Hours of Operation: Generally open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, various hours. Closed in summer.

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture.

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