By Adam Reilly WGBH.org, July 19, 2022 The special commission charged with reimagining the Massachusetts state seal is balking at a proposal to feature Ousamequin — the Wampanoag leader whose aid to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony is memorialized by the holiday of Thanksgiving — in any redesign. The idea of using the image of Ousamequin, who was known to […]
Many Americans learn about Mary Rowlandson in high school. Her tale of traveling with Indigenous people as a prisoner in 1676, during King Philip’s War, is still read in US high schools and colleges. Far fewer Americans know about Weetamoo, the Pocasset saunkskwa with whom Rowlandson travelled, who did all that bravery and humanity could […]
Point Heritage Development Consulting, LLC (PointHDC) has been chosen by the Sowams Heritage Area Project Steering Committee to consult on the Sowams Heritage Area Project feasibility study starting in July, 2022. The purpose of the study is to thoroughly ascertain the feasibility of the project first, before taking any further steps. The Committee evaluated the […]
At a national news conference on April 7, 2022, the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Telling the Full History Preservation Fund announced its award of $25,000 to the Warren Preservation Society for the creation of a feasibility study to establish Sowams as a National Heritage Area. The grant is one of 80 given to select […]
Many of us think of 17th century Puritans as dour, conservative theocrats – nothing could be further from the truth. This video will argue that Puritanism was, in fact, a radically progressive social justice movement that directly inspired the principles of the Enlightenment, and first articulated foundational modern democratic beliefs about human rights, civil liberties, […]
The Sowams Heritage Area Project (SHAP) is requesting proposals for consultant services to produce a National Heritage Area Feasibility Study as a key step towards achieving National Heritage Area Status. SHAP is seeking qualified consultants to prepare a Feasibility Study in compliance with National Park Service (NPS) standards to demonstrate to Congress the national significance […]
Two paintings by artist Ruth Major were placed on display at the Blanding Free Public Library in Rehoboth, MA on January 18, 2022, as part of the Sowams Heritage Area Project. One depicts the Pokanoket Massasoit Ousamequin, who welcomed the Pilgrims in 1621, and the other depicts one of his winter villages. In the photo […]
Sowams Heritage Area Project Coordinator Dr. David Weed met with Region 1 National Heritage Area Program Manager Peter Samuel by Zoom on January 13, 2022. This is their second meeting and comes as the Project is about to take on the task of creating a feasibility study in preparation for an application to the National Park Service for designation […]
By Antonia Noori Farzan,Providence Journal, Dec. 31, 2021 Not too long ago, college campuses and gatherings of left-wing activists were the only places where you were likely to hear a “land acknowledgement” statement. Now, you only have to go as far as Barrington Town Hall. Over the last year, a few towns across Rhode Islandhave started […]