If you're ever in New England........

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kbot
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If you're ever in New England........

Post by kbot » 10-17-2019 07:45 PM

If anyone here ever gets to travel to New England and are wondering "what there is to do", something out of the ordinary, out in western Massachusetts nestled to the east of The Berkshires lies the town of Deerfield.

A long time ago, Deerfield was on the western-most frontier of the English colonies in North America and was the site of one of the major battles in King Philips War - a largely forgotten was, which was on a per capita basis, the deadliest war in American history. Early one morning in the winter of 1675, a combined force of French-Canadian and Indian allies assaulted the village, massacred many, carried off many on a forced march back to Canada and left the town in ruins. Some of the earliest classics in American literature came from this time period.

If you cannot make the trip, this site gives information about the town and there are links to a number of areas of interest. In the BOOKS section, you can find topics ranging from early American medicine, ways of living, stories on the attacks, captive stories, etc...... Personally, I've always been interested in early American cemeteries and gravestone art and there are a few books on the subject, as well as early American folk medicine.

https://www.historic-deerfield.org/
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Fantastic Journeys! (From A Motivationally Challenged Upper Midwesterner Perspective)

Post by Riddick » 10-18-2019 08:29 AM

Thanks for the travel suggestion kbot! I'm making a mental note of it for the next time I'm in New England. Actually, there never was a 1st time, nor do I have any expectations for one, but you never know. Farthest east I've been is NYC & that may be it for this lifetime. Seems the older I get the less wanderlust I have.

That said, as I'll be turning 60 in a little more than a month, I've been giving some thought to what I might include on my bucket list. As it is, aside of the concept, it's non-existent. Yet, even insofar traveling's not a burning desire, if I don't care to do a lot of it it's not like I need to go big. So, with that in mind, I thought from time to time I might take a break from the same old meh & visit some places not so far away...

And guess what? Would you believe Wisconsin has its own Town of Deerfield?? I've never had reason to go there but now, I'd like to see what it's all about, besides the fact there's a lot of deer to be found in the surrounding fields. What's kewI is I can combine it with a London visit. (Rome, I've been to a buncha times! And while I've never seen Paris there's no excuse not to. It's only a li'l more than an hour away)

Right now I figure a good time to do Deerfield & London'll be on Christmas Day when I'm on my way back from my annual pilgrimage to Madison for lunch at my sister's. It'd mean forgoing my usual Hooters stop, but better I take the detour to see what I've been missing, right? (Prolly not much, but you never know!!)
A mind should not be so open that the brains fall out; however, it should not be so closed that whatever gray matter which does reside may not be reached. ART BELL

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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by kbot » 10-18-2019 11:04 AM

Sounds like a whirlwind tour right in your backyard Riddick!!!!

My suggestion - create your bucket list and run down it before too much more time goes by. As I can testify, the older you get, the more unlikely things like long distance travels becomes.......... My wife ad I have "been thinking" about travelling back to Europe for years now - something (usually health-related) intervenes. Make time while you are physically able to do it (whatever "it" may represent to you....)
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by Doka » 10-18-2019 10:20 PM

Really interesting Kbot. I love history, and not familar with "King Phillips War" I need a book! I doubt I will do much traveling in this life time. Where you live, Kbot, is so fascinating and steeped in history, fantastic! :D
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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by kbot » 10-19-2019 08:19 PM

King Philip's War started in the town where I live now Doka, not far from my house. It was very brutal, The land around here was heavily forested from Long Island Sound up to Canada, and most transportation was via the waterways and paths. The Native Americans around here befriended the Pilgrims when they landed in 1620, and wouldn't have survived the first winter without the help of the local tribes.

Massasoit ,who was the chief sachem of the Wampanoags felt the the Pilgrims might be a good ally against the much more powerful Narragansetts who lived in modern-day RI. Over time, the Wampanoags signed away their lands to the English, but the thought that they were sharing what they had as land ownership was a foreign concept among the local tribes. Eventually the Wampanoags found their traditional lands off-limits to them, and this cause problems along the borders between the English and Wampanoags. As more English came, they came into contact with other tribes - the Pequots in western RI and Connecticut as well as the Nipmucks and the Mahicans and Mohawks in New York, the Pennacooks in central Masschusetts, the Massachusetts in the Boston area........

Massasoit had two sons, called by the English Alexander and King Philip. Eventually Massasoit died and shortly thereafter his eldest son Alexander. The Wampanoags suspected foul play as he sicked shortly after meeting with the Pilgrims at Plymouth and died at his home at Sowams. The tribal center was in the highest spot called Montaup, Anglicized as Mount Hope - a short distance from here.

King Philips, or using his Wampanoag name, Metacom, was now the leader of the Wampanoags. He had advocated that the Wampanoags start to resist giving their lands to the colonists and one day in the summer of 1675, two local Wampanoags were shot by a farmer here in Swansea, which had been settled a few years earlier in 1667.

Hostilities erupted soon after with the colonists retreated to what are called garrison houses - many never made it alive. These garrison houses were located some distance away from each other and eventually some men tried to make it from one to another but never made it alive having been ambushed along the way.

War spread throughout the colonies shortly thereafter. Metacom traveled from his home on Narraganset Bay through Massachusetts, RI, Connecticut and upstate New York and into Quebec seeking allies. The English and French settlers found allies among the local tribes as many tries also had grudges against other tribes and sought protection.

The war had a high rate of attrition and after a few years of fighting Metacom and most of the local leaders were dead and many sold into slavery in the Caribbean. Metacom was killed at the foot of Montaup, beheaded and his head stuck on a pike at Plymouth.

Some additional information:
http://www.drweed.net/SowamsHeritageAreaBrochure.pdf
http://sowamsheritagearea.org/wp/

There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by Doka » 10-20-2019 12:36 AM

Fasinating . It took me by surpise that King Phillip was of Indian decent. Settling New Lands was never easy for anyone it seems. There isn't a piece of land in this world that hasn't been fought over at one time or another. Kind of hard to grasp how we got here in the moment ......Alive. :D
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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by kbot » 10-20-2019 06:10 PM

Yup, "King Philip" was the name given to him by the English colonists. A sideline mystery from those times.........

Our History tells us that the Puritans set sail on the Mayflower Fleet in circa 1630 to settle in New England on todays East Coast of the USA.

For some 40 years they lived in harmony with the local Indians, but as time progressed the settlers plundered more and more of their land for farming and housing.
In 1675, the Indians rose up and declared war on the New Settlers in protest at their ever increasing loss of habitat.

This was know as King Philips War - Philip ( a name given to him by the English) being the tribal head of various indigenous tribal factions

The Settlers having superior fire power soon quelled this uprising, Philip was captured and executed.

Philip had in his possession a Wampum Belt around his neck, which was so large it touched his ankles
Quote:- It had two flags on the back part, which hung down on his back, and another small belt with a star upon the end of it, which he used to hang on his breast, and they were all edged with red hair.

This was confiscated by the Commanding Soldier and passed over the the Governor of the Plymouth Colony in New England, Josiah Winslow.
Josiah in turn handed this over to his brother-in law Waldegrave Pelham, which he was to take back to the UK and hand over the Charles 11 as a momento of their success over the Indian uprising.

However by 1679 it never materialised in London with Charles 11 not best pleased, we know the last person to have this belt was Waldegrave Pelham
Waldegrave retreated to his family home called Ferriers, near Bures in Essex, and died in 1699.

American literature quotes:- Where Philip's belts lie today remains a mystery. Perhaps, they are buried in the ground near the old Pelham manor in Essex.

So what did Waldegrave do with this artifact ?

One tantalizing clue as to the belts' whereabouts remains.
In the 1980s, Maurice Robbins of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, believing he may have located the belts, began negotiations with a small museum in Great Britain for their return. Several members of the society remembered discussion of a possible trade, as the corresponding museum was interested in a particular type of artifact to add to its collection.

With Robbins' death in 1990, however, the negotiations broke off, and members of the society today have no written record of Robbins' work or remember the museum with which he was corresponding.

So where was this Museum ??
http://www.bures-online.co.uk/Ferriers/Wampum.htm
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by Doka » 10-21-2019 03:56 PM

Kind of Sounds like the"Brits" are not ready to send it back?



The Rest of the Story....

Update 15/07/2016
This seems to contradict Maurice Robbins dealing with a Small Museum

British Museum
However, there appears to be a Wampum belt stored in the archives at the Museum
Quote from Michelle Coughlin, Massachusetts Historian

"In 1993 a photo was taken of some Native American wampum belts that were on display at the British Museum in the coinage room. The photos were investigated and it was determined (based on Wampanoag history) to be in fact the famous "King Philip's Belt" that has been unaccounted for three hundred years.

On March 2 1995 the Massachusetts House of Representatives adopted a resolution requesting his excellency, British Prime Minister John Major, to return the Wampanoag nation certain sacred artifacts. In response, The British government promised to find the wampum belt. Spokesperson (at that time) Teresa Evans for the British Consulate in Boston Mass. stated "Prime Minister John Major has directed the Department of National Heritage to search for the belt. They are having a hard time locating it, it will take further investigation."
In 1996 a follow-up letter was sent by Representative Travis; who has since left public office and no further action has been taken on this matter."

http://www.bures-online.co.uk/Ferriers/Wampum.htm
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Re: If you're ever in New England........

Post by kbot » 10-21-2019 07:29 PM

Nah, they've got a LOT of stuff over there...........
There you go man, keep as cool as you can. Face piles and piles of trials with smiles. It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave. And keep on thinking free. (Moody Blues)

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