Isabella Pratt Hunnewell Shaw
The South Natick Proprietress Whose Inn Might Just Have Earned a Five-Star Review Today
By Trudy Reisner, Natick Historical Society Volunteer Researcher
Edited by Jennifer Richards, Archivist
Old Natick Inn, South Natick, circa 1915 (Colorized)
Do you recognize the name Hunnewell? How about Shaw? Both names are deeply connected to Natick history, and Isabella Pratt (Hunnewell) Shaw brought them together in a life of public spirit, philanthropy, and devotion to South Natick. Isabella Pratt (Hunnewell) Shaw (1849–1934) was born on July 3, 1849, the seventh of nine children and the second of three daughters. Her parents were Isabella Pratt (Welles) Hunnewell (1812–1888) and Horatio Hollis Hunnewell (1810–1902).
Isabella Hunnewell Shaw had a lifelong interest in elevating and beautifying South Natick for the community. In 1908, she bought a large barn on Pleasant Street from Joshua Parmenter. The building had housed a cider and vinegar mill on one end and a stable on the other. Isabella remodeled it into what became known as the Shaw Gymnasium, even installing electric lights.
The gymnasium became more than a recreational building. According to the Natick Bulletin, it was an “ideal building” for village entertainments and served children who used both the gymnasium and the adjoining Hunnewell Playground. Mrs. Shaw hired Louis A. Brown as superintendent to care for the building and watch over the children. The boys were taught to swim, and classes in basketry and sewing were offered.
Located on Eliot Street, the Inn offered piazzas, river views, and a gathering place for visitors and residents alike. A circa 1915 photograph shows the building filled with people on its porches, suggesting the inn’s role as both a social and hospitality center. Promotional material for the inn described it as “A Famous Inn for 145 Years,” and advertised small banquets and conventions, clean and comfortable rooms, and excellent food.
The inn had a personality. A business card from the period, listing George Frederick Wright as manager, described the Old Natick Inn as a practical hotel rather than a curiosity shop. Its “policy” promised experienced hotel operation, excellent food at regular hours, and clean, comfortable rooms, while firmly warning that it was “not a museum” for the curious to roam through. That mix of hospitality, confidence, and Yankee directness gives a vivid sense of the inn’s character.
In 1927, The New Yorker article “Narragansett Peerage—Ye Sweete Olde Inne” by Gretta Palmer included the Old Natick Inn in a roundup of old-fashioned inns, noting its South Natick setting and its association with Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Oldtown Folks. The mention suggests that, even near the end of its life, the building still carried a reputation for historic charm and local character.
After the inn closed in 1929 and was demolished, Shaw hired Charles Gorely of Wellesley to landscape the land, then donated it to the Town of Natick in 1932. The result was Shaw Park, a public green space along the Charles River that preserved the site’s connection to South Natick’s past while giving residents a place to gather, rest, and enjoy the village landscape. Rather than allow the site of the Old Natick Inn to disappear from public life, Isabella Shaw helped transform it into another community space.
Shaw Park continued Isabella’s pattern of turning private property into public benefit. Like the Shaw Gymnasium, it reflected her interest in recreation, beautification, and community life. In place of the old inn, South Natick gained a park that connected memory, landscape, and public use. Together, the gymnasium, the Old Natick Inn, and Shaw Park show how Isabella Shaw helped shape some of South Natick’s most familiar public spaces.
Sources & Additional Reading
Alexander Street Documents. “Biographical Sketch of Isabella Hunnewell Shaw.” Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920.
“Old Natick Inn.” Promotional material/business card, George Frederick Wright, Manager. Natick Historical Society collections.
Natick Bulletin. Article on Shaw Gymnasium and Hunnewell Playground. Natick Historical Society collections.
Palmer, Gretta. “Narragansett Peerage—Ye Sweete Olde Inne.” The New Yorker, July 16, 1927.
Photograph of Isabella Hunnewell Shaw. Alexander Street Documents, Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890–1920.
Photograph of 16 Pleasant Street and Shaw Barn, Merrill Road. Natick Historical Society collections.
Photograph of Old Natick Inn, Eliot Street, South Natick, circa 1915. Natick Historical Society collections.