Natick in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Indian Meetinghouse
1630 - 1930
Photographed by Russell C. Bixby, July 30, 2011
1. Indian Meeting House Marker
On this site John Eliot helped his Indian converts to build their first meetinghouse in 1651, with a "prophet's chamber" where he lodged on his fortnightly visits to preach to them in their language. His disciple Daniel Takawambait succeeded to the pastoral office in 1698.
Erected 1930 by Massachusetts Bay Colony-Tercentenary Commission.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the King Philip's War 1675-1676 series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1651.
Location. 42° 16.38′ N, 71° 18.963′ W. Marker is in Natick, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. It is at the intersection of Eliot Street (Massachusetts Route 16) and Union Street, on the left when traveling north on Eliot Street. The marker stands on the South Natick Common. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 45 Eliot Street, Natick MA 01760, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Boston.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Odd Fellow's Building (approx. 1.8 miles away); First Congregational Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); Site of the Home of Amos Mills (approx. 2.1 miles away); Wellesley Town Hall (approx. 2.1 miles away); Sherborn (approx. 2.9 miles away); In Honor of Two Magnificent and Historically Significant Trees (approx. 2.9 miles away); Future Performing Arts Center (approx. 4.4 miles away); Near This Spot (approx. 4.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Natick.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Historical Markers Erected by Massachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary Commission (1930). Original 1930 publication by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Photographed by Russell C. Bixby, July 30, 2011
2. The Eliot Church
2. Deer Island National Park.
Prior to European colonization, Indigenous communities accessed Deer Island seasonally for thousands of years. The colonists pressured Indigenous peoples to convert to Christianity, and those who did moved into separate praying communities. Just five months after [King Philips] war began [in 1675], colonists set up an internment camp on Deer Island to relocate "Christianized" Indigenous people whom they believed could turn against the English and join the rebellion.(Submitted on March 23, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts.)
3. Praying town - Wikipedia.
Praying towns were settlements established by English colonial governments in New England from 1646 to 1675 in an effort to convert local Native Americans to Christianity. The Native people who moved into the towns were known as Praying Indians.(Submitted on March 23, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts.)
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2015
3. John Eliot
This portrait by of John Eliot an unknown artist hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
“No Puritan leader in seventeenth-century New England was more interested in the welfare of the region's Native American population than John Eliot. A graduate of Cambridge University, Eliot immigrated to Boston in 1631. While serving as the pastor of a church in Roxbury, Eliot began to search for ways to perform missionary work among the region's tribal communities. He studied the local Algonquian language, and by 1646 he was preaching to the native inhabitants in their own language.
In order to protect his potential Christian converts, he established the first of fourteen towns for so called praying Indians in 1651. Perhaps his most extraordinary accomplishment, though, was the translation of the Bible into an Algonquian dialect a task that required Eliot to invent new words and new grammatical structures. Its publication in 1661 marked the first printing of a Bible in America.” — National Portrait Gallery
“No Puritan leader in seventeenth-century New England was more interested in the welfare of the region's Native American population than John Eliot. A graduate of Cambridge University, Eliot immigrated to Boston in 1631. While serving as the pastor of a church in Roxbury, Eliot began to search for ways to perform missionary work among the region's tribal communities. He studied the local Algonquian language, and by 1646 he was preaching to the native inhabitants in their own language.
In order to protect his potential Christian converts, he established the first of fourteen towns for so called praying Indians in 1651. Perhaps his most extraordinary accomplishment, though, was the translation of the Bible into an Algonquian dialect a task that required Eliot to invent new words and new grammatical structures. Its publication in 1661 marked the first printing of a Bible in America.” — National Portrait Gallery
Credits. This page was last revised on April 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 31, 2011, by Russell Chaffee Bixby of Bernardston, Massachusetts. This page has been viewed 1,657 times since then and 86 times this year. Last updated on March 23, 2026, by G.W.Bartlett of Hingham, Massachusetts. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 31, 2011, by Russell Chaffee Bixby of Bernardston, Massachusetts. 3. submitted on October 24, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
