About Pegan Hill

32 acres

Once the ancestral home of local Native Americans and later a Colonial-era farmscape, this ridgeline is a thickly wooded habitat laced by remnant stone walls.

What makes Pegan Hill a special place?
At 410 feet, Pegan Hill is the highest point in Natick. This classic glacial drumlin is forested with pine, oak, maple, and birch. From the one-mile trail that runs along its north-south axis, you can take in partial views from the summit southeast toward the Great Blue Hill.

For more than 100 years, Pegan Hill was home to the Pegan Indians, a group of “Praying Indians” first led by the Reverend John Eliot beginning in 1651. They cleared the hill for cropland and pasture, but by the 1760s, the Pegan Indians had perished, and settlers had taken over farming. Stone walls are the only remaining evidence of these farming days.

Trails
1-mile trail. Moderate walking.

When to Visit
Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of 1 hour.

Regulations & Advisories

• Mountain biking is permitted only on designated trails.

Directions

Pegan Lane
Natick and Dover, MA
Telephone 508.785.0339
E-mail: charlesrivervalley@ttor.org

Get directions on Google Maps.

From intersection of Rts. 16 and 135 in Wellesley, follow Rt. 16 West (towards South Natick) for 2 mi. In South Natick, turn left onto Pleasant Street and follow for 1 mi. Turn right onto Pegan Lane. Entrance and parking (3 cars) are 0.3 mi. on the left.

Admission

When to Visit
Year-round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Allow a minimum of 1 hour.

Admission
FREE to all

Property History

More than 350 years ago, Pegan Hill marked the southern edge of the 4,000-acre "Praying Indian" town of Natick, established in 1651 at the urging of the Reverend John Eliot (1604–1690). From 1646 until his death forty-four years later, Eliot led a mission whose goal included the creation of "praying towns" for Native Americans who, inspired by the gospel that Eliot had taught, desired to leave their nomadic lives to form villages in which they could learn more about Christianity. After early success, Eliot became encouraged by the possibility of gradual religious, social, and political integration of all Native Americans into colonial society. In the end, he founded six more "praying towns" in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The lowland areas surrounding Pegan Hill served as fields for apple trees and vegetable crops, and fences were laid out for raising goats, pigs, and oxen. The stone walls that encircle the base of Pegan Hill are remnants of this era. Pegan Hill was likely burned of most of its vegetation for planting, deer hunting, and berry picking. Treeless hills were also magical places because they provided views of where the land met the sky.

After King Philip's War (1675–76), many surviving Native Americans moved to Natick to live under Eliot's care. When he died in 1690, their life rapidly declined. Unable to find trades and despised by wider society, the Native Americans retreated to the fringes of colonial life, worked marginal jobs, and sold off their land to farmers to pay debts that were impoverishing them.

Property Acquisition History
Original acreage a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Judson S. Battelle in 1956 in memory of Mr. Batelle's father. Additional land given by Mrs. Dorothea D. Hovey in 1957 in memory of her husband, and by Mr. and Mrs. Barron F. Lambert, Jr. in 1968.

Programs

Click here to learn more about our Summer in the Valley Photo contest.

Volunteer Opportunities

Work Parties

Maps and Resources

Planning Your Visit

Before You Go
We encourage you to visit as many Trustees properties as you can.

Wherever your travels take you, please observe all posted regulations, follow special instructions from property staff, and keep in mind the Stewardship Code:

• Protect wildlife and plants.
• Guard against all risk of fire.
• Help keep air and water clean.
• Carry out what you carry in.
• Use marked footpaths and bridle paths.
• Leave livestock, crops, and machinery alone.
• Respect the privacy of neighboring land.
• Enjoy and share the landscape with others.

Click on links below for further visitor information:

Before Setting Out

Enjoying Trustees Reservations

Safety

About Hunting on Trustees of Reservations Land

Tell Us What You Think

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