While King Philip’s War technically began in January of 1675 with the murder of John Sassamon, the War really began for Lancaster in February of 1676, when a group of Wampanoag, Nipmuc and Narragansett men attacked the frontier settlement in the early hours of the morning, burning the majority of the town and taking Lancaster’s most famous resident – Mary Rowlandson – captive. Thayer Memorial Library‘s Special Collections and Archives Librarian, Victoria Hatchell, presented an overview of the War that shaped New England as we know it today. Click here for a 45-minute presentation by posted on March 18, 2026 by Sterling-Lancaster Community Television.

Hatchell began by stating that over-hunting, a decrease in native population due to European endemic diseases, and competition for resources due to English livestock invading Native land were key factors in the Native Americans unease towards Massachusetts colonists. Phillip, also known as Metacom, was born around 1638, very shortly after Boston was settled and was the second son of the Massasoit who had first welcomed and helped the pilgrims of the Plymouth colony in 1621. 

John Sassamon was murdered in January of 1675 shortly after warning Josiah Winslow, the Governor of Plymouth Colony, about an impending attack that King Philip was planning. The war officially started on June 20th, 1675 when the Pokanokets attacked the Plymouth settlement of Swansea where they burned several houses after an English boy killed a Pokanoket man. On June 24th they mounted a full-scale assault in which three English colonists were killed and most of the town was burned.

In early November of 1675, Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow led a combined force of Plymouth Colony and Connecticut militia against the Narragansetts, and, in December, raided and burned an entire Native settlement located in a swamp in southern Rhode Island. At the start of King Phillip’s War there were more than 50 colonial families living in Lancaster. On the morning of February 10th, the Lancaster raid took place, and 36 colonists were taken captive, including Mary Rolandson and her three children, who were held captive for 11 weeks and 5 days (shown on map above) before being ransomed. Phillip’s war came to an end on August 12th,1676 when Philip was killed in what today is Bristol, RI.