The History Place - Writers' Corner

Historic Exploration On Your Own
Visiting King Philip's War Sites

By Michael Tougias

The site of the Brookfield Garrison is located on Foster Hill Road in West Brookfield, Mass. It is a beautiful country road with battle markers that is best explored by foot. Just before the plaque for the Garrison is a Benjamin Franklin milestone, situated about ten feet off the road, partially hidden in the tall grass.

A marker and sign commemorate the ambush at Bloody Brook in the little hamlet of South Deerfield. To get an idea of what the area looked like at the time, be sure to drive or climb up to the top of Mount Sugarloaf. From this lofty perch, not much of the Pioneer Valley appears to have changed in the three hundred years since the war.

The Great Swamp Massacre site is in Kingston, Rhode Island and there are granite markers at the site, and at Smith's Castle in Wickford where the soldiers retreated after the attack.

Turners Falls has a small marker on the northwest side of the river where the attack occurred, but the falls itself looks nothing like it did at the time of the war because of the hydro electric dam. There is a viewing station to see anadramous fish go up the river operated by Northfield Power in Turners Falls.

Bristol, Rhode Island was the tribal headquarters of Philip, and the Haeffenreffer Museum is located there, as is King Philip's seat, a ledge of rock where it is said Philip addressed his tribe.

Mr. Tougias is a highly regarded guide on historic places and the natural beauty of Massachusetts and the New England area. He is the author of several travel guide books and also King Philip's War : The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict. Mr. Tougias is available (in the New England area) to give a slide presentation on the War. You can contact him care-of: PO Box 72, Norfolk MA 02056

Books by Michael Tougias - Available from Amazon.com

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