The Eaton Family Homesteads

John Eaton Jr. Homestead, c. 1810	Eaton Homestead, c. 1810

In the north central section of Nobscot, in the shadow of Nobscot Hill just south of the Sudbury line, are two early 19th century homes that originally belonged to the Eaton family. The family figures prominently in the town's early history, with at least five Eaton men from Framingham serving as soldiers in the Revolutionary War. The two houses sit at both ends of Harrington Road like bookends to the 20th century homes nestled between them.

At 71 Harrington Road, the Eaton Homestead, c. 1810 is situated on land purchased by Jonas Eaton (1680-1727), formerly of Reading. The structure was probably built no later than 1810, but some believe it predates that year considerably, perhaps to the late 1700s. A distinctive feature of the Federal style building are the four towering chimneys projecting from its hip roof. At the other end of Harrington Road at the corner of Edgell Road, the John Eaton Jr. house, also c. 1810, sits with its brick facade dramatically facing Edgell Road behind a lush front lawn.

The remains of an even earlier Eaton family home lie just a short distance away to the northwest in the Nobscot Boy Scout Reservation. There off the Ellis Land Trail, in the reservation's southeast corner near Edgell Road, you will find the stone foundation of a home built by Noah Eaton (1708-1791) about 1730. A sign has been placed there by the Boy Scouts explaining the history of the site.

Foundation of Noah Eaton Homestead, c. 1730