John Eliot and New Roxbury

My interest in Woodstock began with my connection to Natick. Established in 1651, Natick was the first of the Massachusetts “praying towns” associated with John Eliot’s missionary work among the Nipmuc people. Learning about Eliot’s years in Natick made me curious about the other New England communities connected to his travels.

That curiosity brought me to Woodstock, where Eliot had traveled to preach among the Nipmuc people of Wabaquasset.  Wabaquasset was an established Indigenous community and became one of the largest praying towns in the region. Although many miles separated it from Natick, the two places were connected through Eliot and the network of communities he visited.

The historical marker on Woodstock Hill adds another part to that connection. It records that in 1686, thirteen men left Roxbury, Massachusetts, to establish a settlement at Wabaquasset, following the route Eliot had traveled before them. They called their settlement New Roxbury, honoring the community they had left behind and the town where Eliot had served as minister for many years.

Standing before this marker, I could trace a path connecting three places: Natick, where Eliot established the first praying town; Roxbury, where he served as minister; and Woodstock, where he traveled to Wabaquasset and where settlers from Roxbury later established a new community. I had come to Woodstock because of a familiar piece of Natick’s history, and here I discovered how much farther that story extended.