Though Roger Williams was the first Englishman to settle in 17th century Sowams, he was quickly followed by Rev. Samuel Newman and his followers from Weymouth who purchased land from the Massasoit Ousamequin in 1643. After constructing a meeting house in what is now Rumford, RI, the settlers laid out over fifty farms, each fronting […]
This presentation is designed to help you understand the history of cooperation that occurred in the 17th century led by the Massasoit Ousamequin and Pilgrim Separatist Edward Winslow and how that cooperation ended with each of their sons by the 1670s. The earnest efforts on the part of Edward Winslow to establish mutual trust and […]
Before the arrival of Europeans in the Americans in the late 15th century, the Pokanoket people lived in a relatively disease-free environment.Starting in 1616, those same people began to suffer from a series of pandemics that wiped out up to 90% of their numbers. So, how did these infectious diseases first come to New England […]
Dr. Francis J. Bremer, Professor Emeritus of History at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and author of more than twelve books on Puritanism, examines what Puritans saw as the way to godliness and dispel common myths about their views on subjects such as drinking, sexuality, and dress. Click here for a 54-minute History Camp video of […]
On the former Bowen-Haile-Nunes Farmstead, a rare surviving representative of a 17th century Narragansett Bay saltwater livestock farm now given over largely to development, stands the oldest extant house in Warren. The Warren Land Conservation Trust acquired approximately sixty acres of the original farm land on the eastern shore of the Palmer River that now is […]
Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, grew up in Smithfiled, London, in the early 1600s before moving to America in 1631. During that time, he witnessed dozens of people being burned at the stake in West Smithfield for their religious beliefts. He knew Captain John Smith, who settled Jamestown in 1609, as he would […]
The British Museum in London cares for around 90,000 contemporary, historical and archaeological objects that reflect the diversity of culture spanning more than 12,000 years across a third of the world’s landmass. Among its holding are the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin Marbles, and a head from Easter Island. The British Museum also holds thousands of objects from the Americas including […]
Tomaquag Museum Executive Director Lorén Spears discussed a new edition of Roger Williams’ A Key into the Language of America which brings a Narragansett perspective to William’s 1643 best seller at the Rhode Island State Library on March 4, 2020, Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea introduced her to the assembled audience before through the […]
Sowams Heritage Area Coordinator Dr. David Weed gave a presentation on “Pokanokets & Pilgrims: Compromise & Conflict in the 17th Century” to an audience of forty people at the George Hail Library in Warren, RI on February 21, 2020. Dr. Weed contrasted the two cultures who were vastly different from one another but who managed to […]
Pokanoket Nation Sagamore Winds of Thunder (William Guy) related some of their history to internationally acclaimed British author Philippa Gregory (pictured right) while his daughter, Sachem Dancing Star and his grandson, Winding River, listened close to the Massasoit’s Seat at Mt. Hope in Bristol on February 13, 2020. The author was visiting from England to […]