On November 3, 1789, the first president of the United States, George Washington, passed through South Natick. Learn about exactly what Washington saw.

President George Washington’s Morning Ride Through Natick

Jennifer Richards, NHS Archivist & Research Manager

On November 3, 1789, George Washington, the newly-elected and first President of the United States, traveled right through what is now South Natick. He was accompanied by a team of four horses, two advisors (Tobias Lear and William Jackson), a baggage wagon and driver, six servants, at least two enslaved people, and his white charger, Prescott. A celebrated Revolutionary War hero, President Washington, and all Americans faced an uncertain future. After all, it had only been five months since the Constitution’s ratification, and many considered the document controversial. As he prepared to lead the new nation, Washington set out on a sixty-town tour of New England. Perhaps a few fortunate Natick residents saw their new President as he passed through.

In October 1789, Washington left the temporary capital, then New York City, and traveled through Connecticut and Massachusetts to New Hampshire. Rhode Island had yet to ratify the Constitution, so it was not included on this tour. During the one-month journey, Washington stayed in local taverns, visited farms and businesses, and observed the Sabbath by attending churches of different denominations. Washington noted his sometimes critical views of the local room, board, food, and general travel conditions in his diary. However, these discomforts did not deter him from his goal of getting to know the people and terrain of New England.

Natick was not part of Washington’s route at first, but a snowstorm in Albany forced a change of plans, and the entourage traveled through Natick, Sherborn, and Holliston. Because of the last-minute change, none of the towns had time to prepare festivities or ceremonial parades.

So what did Washington see that early fall morning as he rode into Natick unexpectedly and unannounced? The entourage entered Natick through Needham (now Wellesley). There would have been a crisp chill in the air; winter was approaching. His first impression of Natick would have been shaped by a house that still stands today: 3 Eliot Street.

 

The Morse-Dana-Leach House at 3 Eliot Street. The structure appears close to the dirt road in this photograph, perhaps as it would have been during Washington’s time. Photo NHS Collections.

A glimpse into an early Natick family

Among the oldest homes in Natick, 3 Eliot Street still stands proudly today. It was built by David Morse in 1759 and purchased by Lieutenant Ephraim Dana on April 27, 1779. The Dana family would likely have been home when President Washington’s carriage passed by the house in the early morning. Lieutenant Ephraim Dana (1744-1792) served in several capacities as a soldier, a member of the town council, and a blacksmith. At that time, Ephraim Dana and his second wife Tabitha Jones, daughter of Esq. John Jones of Dedham, had four children. They were Rebecca (born in 1781), twins Ephraim and Tabitha (born in 1783), and Nathaniel (born in 1787). (The youngest son, Luther, arrived in 1892.) This home was in the family’s possession for over 100 years until Tabitha Dana Leach died in 1869.

While the Dana brothers lived mainly in Portland, Maine, where they engaged in mercantile pursuits, Ephriam (son), a merchant, lived in Boston. In the years before their marriage, daughters Rebecca and Tabitha built an extension of the house for a store, which they ran for many years.

In a paper read at a meeting of the Natick Historical Society on May 1, 1883, Ephraim Dana was noted as “a man of character and influence, and patriotic answering to the call of the Lexington alarm April 19, 1775.” The house “has associations of loved relatives, and congenial friends, where the good and true have lived to brighten, cheer and help.” We would love to imagine that Washington and his entourage sensed something good and true about Natick as he passed through that early morning in 1789.

Tabitha Dana Leach (1783-1863) in the doorway of the Ephraim Dana House at 3 Eliot Street. Photo NHS Collections.

Tabitha Dana Leach foot stove circa 1811. NHS Collection 1921.502.1.

Additional Resources & Works Cited

MACRIS (Massachusetts Historical Commission Information System)

 

Route 9: A Journey Through Time

From its start in 1810 as a toll road from Brookline to Worcester, Route 9 has undergone many transformations to become the bustling roadway we know today. Follow along as local history experts from Newton, Wellesley, Natick, and Framingham take you through its development, from toll houses and street cars to shopping malls and roadside entertainment. Learn about the evolution of transportation and commerce and the political forces that helped shape the east-west road that remains essential to our communities.

Want More?

  • Click HERE to find all the locations mentioned in the presentation on Google Maps.

  • Click HERE to access MACRIS (MA Cultural Resource Information System) from the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

  • The Samuel Bullard Map, 1793, from the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society (the Natick Historical Society added coloring), depicts the town boundaries as they would have appeared during Washington’s time. For a high-resolution map and citation information, please click HERE.

Book