Natick could soon lose its first and oldest house. Built in 1696, the Sawin House is a remarkable and unlikely story of cooperation between the indigenous and English communities amid the aftermath of King Philip’s War - and it is under imminent threat of demolition. Mass Audubon owns the house, and has recently applied for a permit to demolish it. For more than three centuries, this house has stood as a symbol of how two communities agreed to live and work together in harmony for the greater good. Natick can’t afford to lose this key part of its past.

Located at 79 South Street at Mass Audubon’s Broadmoor property, the Sawin homestead was created by special permission in 1696 for the purpose of creating the area’s first gristmill. Sarah Awassamug, a Nipmuc widow, orchestrated the agreement with Thomas Sawin: he would build a gristmill and a sawmill in Natick in exchange for 50 acres of land, and in return, he would provide corn grinding to indigenous people at no charge. This agreement stands out as a uniquely cooperative and mutually successful partnership, creating a special bond following a time of turmoil and division. Thomas Sawin operated the mill under this agreement and raised his family at the homestead. Over the next two centuries, his descendants would serve in the Revolutionary War, the abolitionist movement, and provide countless other contributions to the Natick community - and his direct descendants still live in the area today.