Parsonage House
I have walked by this house hundreds of times during my walks around Natick. Today, I stopped to take a photo of the plaque outside the front door.
This modest plaque marks a house known as the Parsonage. It is easy to walk past without realizing how much history is held within its walls. Built around 1820, this home has stood for more than two centuries, watching South Natick grow and remaining closely tied to the spiritual life of the community.
The Parsonage was constructed as the residence for the minister servicing the Eliot Church of South Natick. In early New England towns, the minister’s home was a place for counsel, conversation and refuge. The Parsonage stood near the center of town life and was meant to be accessible into the fabric of the community.
This house was built by Oliver Bacon and its architecture reflects simplicity and balance. This was a home meant to endure and shelter generations of clergy and their families. The Parsonage is associated with the American author Horatio Alger, whose father served as minister at the Eliot Church.
Today, the Parsonage remains connected to the Eliot Church and continues to serve as the minister’s residence. It remains what it has always been: a lived-in place holding its stories within its walls.
Once you know the story of a house, it is impossible to see it just as another house. The Parsonage reminds us that history resides in familiar places and it is a witness to the faith and community and enduring presence of the past in everyday life.
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