In 1651, the Massachusetts Legislative granted a large parcel of land on the banks of the Charles River to Rev. John Eliot, a well-known Christian missionary. He relocated a group of Christian Natives from Newton to the new village of "Natick", where they became known as the "Praying Indians". These villagers built homes, a school, a meeting house, and a burial site.During a renovation of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House in the 1980's, workers discovered the remains of a Native grave site. The Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag remain active today in the Natick area. See below for a video of the Natick Praying Indian's Harvest Moon celebration.
Harriet Beecher Stowe
As the town of Natick expanded toward the north and west, the original, southeastern area near the Charles River was renamed "South Natick". In the early 1800's, Col. William Bigelow transferred the land at 2 Pleasant Street, South Natick, to his future son-in-law, Dr. Alexander Thayer.In 1816, Dr. Thayer built a Federal style house on the property, where he lived with his family.
Born in South Natick in 1802, Calvin Ellis Stowe was the grandson of Col. Bigelow and the nephew of Dr. Thayer. After his father died in 1808, he went to live with Dr.Thayer and his family. Calvin eventually became a professor of theology and taught at Lane Theological Seminary. In 1836, he married Harriet Beecher, the daughter of the president of the Seminary.They had seven children.Following their marriage, the couple frequently visited Calvin's uncle at the house at 2 Pleasant Street in South Natick and may have lived there for a summer.Harriet Beecher Stowe published Old Town Folks in 1869and Sam Lawson's Oldtown Fireside Stories in 1872. Bothbooks were based on her observations of the village life of South Natick and on her husband's reminiscences of his childhood there.
In 1985, the Harriet Beecher Stowe house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
