George Sawin outside of Natick's oldest home. Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
NATICK, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Almost 330 years ago, George Sawin’s great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather struck the last hammer blow on what was fated to become the oldest house in Natick. Now, that house could soon meet its final demise at the business end of a backhoe. Without intervention, it’s set to be demolished as early as February.
The Sawin House was built in 1696, on land originally deeded to George’s ancestor Thomas Sawin, who built it. He was deeded the land by the Natick Praying Indians, who asked Thomas to move in so he could build a gristmill on a brook near the Charles River. The house remained connected to the family before being passed into the hands of the Massachusetts Audubon Society in the late 1960’s. Mass Audubon says it has exhausted all of its options to retain the decrepit structure and wants to tear it down.
Animosity to Peace
The initials of Thomas and Deborah are carved into the foundation of the two-story structure on South Street, but the full story dates back to when Thomas Sawin was a young man. George said as part of King Philip’s War in 1675, his ancestor was at war with the Wampanoag and their native allies, even participating in massacres of the indigenous people.
The Praying Indians in Natick were exiled to Deer Island in Boston by a suspicious colonial government as part of the war, left stranded with no supplies in the harsh winter. After the death of Metacomet and the end of the war, a small group of greatly weakened Natick Praying Indians were allowed back to Natick, with no way to grind corn for food. They invited Thomas Sawin to settle in Natick, the first European settler to live there. In exchange, he was to build a gristmill to help feed the community and operate it. His agreement, George argues, marked a watershed moment of cooperation between local indigenous people and the colonists, who had been mired in years of hatred and bloody conflict.
“This is more than a structure. This is a symbol of things that are important – a sense of mutuality, and caring, and trust, and respect for each other,” he said.
As Thomas became part of the fabric of the community, he changed too – as, apparently, did admiration on the part of the locals. Eventually, he became an advocate for the Praying Indians in Natick, even representing them in court against land encroachment by other English settlers.
“At that time, they needed each other. This is a symbol, to me, of that hope and desire to live peaceably,” George said.
Here and Now
The Sawin house passed out of the extended Sawin family and remained in Audubon hands since the 1960’s, at times housing caretakers, but now sits derelict and vacant. There have been attempts to restore the old house to its former glory for more than a decade, which Mass Audubon said ended in failure. Money is one of the key problems. The organization said it is structurally unsound, but too costly to fix. It has also been plagued by break-ins and vandals.
“Beyond that, the costly restoration of the Sawin house does not align with our primary mission of protecting the nature of Massachusetts,” a statement from the organization reads.
In a meeting in August, the Natick Historical Commission weighed in and said it would prefer the organization not demolish the building entirely, instead demolishing part of it and renovating part of the original cottage.
George said that if nothing changes, “They’ll be permitted to tear it down. Which would be a tremendous tragedy for the town, and its history.”
On the topic of a possible commemoration of the site, Mass Audubon said it is “working with the Natick Historic Society and indigenous partners to offer comprehensive historic interpretation at and around the site, after the building is removed." But the final remains of the house that lasted more than three centuries would be reduced to its foundation and a few other key pieces of rubble.
Sawin would like the house to be donated or sold to a soon-to-be nonprofit, “Natick Heritage.” A Change.org petition has garnered about 900 signatures.
Demolition could begin in mid-February.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CschaffelWBZ) reports.
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