Tennis has more than one origin story in the United States, and Nahant is at the heart of one of the most important. While Mary Outerbridge is widely credited with bringing a lawn-tennis set from Bermuda to Staten Island in 1874, the same year also marked the game’s early arrival on Massachusetts’ North Shore, according to the United States Tennis Association.
The first recorded game of lawn tennis in America
At the Appleton estate in Nahant, James Dwight and Fred Sears played lawn tennis on a grass court after the newly popular English game reached the area. Dwight would later become known as the “Father of American Lawn Tennis,” but Nahant’s contribution goes beyond an early casual match.
In 1876, Nahant hosted what is widely recognized as the first American lawn-tennis tournament. The event helped transform the sport from a novelty enjoyed by a small group of players into a growing national pastime, securing the coastal town’s place in sports history.
Mary Outerbridge’s role remains essential to the story. Her account is often credited as the first introduction of lawn tennis in the United States, while Nahant is celebrated as the site of the country’s first recorded tournament and an early center of the sport.
Key dates in American tennis history:
- 1874: Mary Outerbridge brings a lawn-tennis set from Bermuda to Staten Island, New York
- 1874: James Dwight and Fred Sears play lawn tennis at the Appleton estate in Nahant
- 1876: Nahant hosts the first recorded lawn-tennis tournament in the United States
- 1881: James Dwight helps establish the U.S. National Championships in Newport, Rhode Island
- 2024: Nahant marks the 150th anniversary of lawn tennis in the United States
Today, Nahant remains a small seaside town with an outsized legacy: It helped turn lawn tennis into an American tradition.
