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Rev. John Eliot had a strong connection with Rev. Thomas Hooker in England. Eliot came to live with the Hooker family at the Cuckoos Farm in Little Baddow outside of Chelmsford. Eliot served as Hooker's assistant running a school at Little Baddow. Eliot recorded that his life was forever altered by the time working with Thomas Hooker and living with the Hooker family.
Cotton Mather quotes from a lost manuscript, "written by the hands of our blessed Eliot," which gave an account of the Cuckoos episode. "To this place was I called, through the infinite riches of God's mercy in Christ Jesus to my poor soul," wrote the apostle, "for here the Lord said unto my dead soul, live, and through the grace of Christ, I do live, and I shall live forever! When I came to this blessed family I then saw, and never before, the power of godliness in its lively vigor and efficacy. (from Thomas Hooker: Father of American Democracy by Deryck Collingwood).
Rev. Eliot emigrated to Massachusetts in 1630 when Hooker was driven into exile in Holland. The time that Rev. Eliot and Rev. Hooker spent together at the Cuckoos Farm had a profound effect on their lives in America: "(1) Thomas Hooker consolidated a vision and a clergy group which helped democratise the religious and political life of both Old and New England; (2) the unique contribution of John Eliot to New England's educational practice was hammered out, under Hooker's tuition; (3) the modern movement for translation of the Bible began here, through John Eliot's conversion to a more positively evangelical Puritanism." (Collingwood)
Thomas Hooker brought work of Christian conversion to the Native people in Connecticut through his assistant and later son-in-law, Reverend Roger Newton, who came to live in the Hooker household in 1640. Rev. Newton served as missionary to the Tunxis tribe and first minister of Farmington (CT) congregation.
For more information on the life of Rev. John Eliot, click on the link Rev. John Eliot, Wikipedia
For more information on the history of Hassanamesit and the Praying Indians, click on the link History of the Praying Indian Town
For a brief introduction to Rev. John Eliot and the Praying Indians, view the trailer for Praying Town: John Eliot and the Praying Indians by Zadi Zokou.
HASSANAMESIT NIPMUCK TRIBAL LAND
The "Praying Indian" churches and towns established by Reverend John Eliot for the conversion of the natives to Christianity appeared to follow the route of the Old Connecticut Path . Rev. Eliot established the Hassanamesit praying church in the vicinity of Grafton Center. The historic marker stands on the Grafton Common as a re minder of the efforts to bring the Native people into the Christian world.Reverend Eliot traveled from Dorchester along the Bay Path and Old Connecticut Path to preach to the Nipmuck people. Over the course of his years of missionary work, Rev. Eliot successfully translated the Bible from English to Algonquian, the language of the Native People. Eliot was a champion for the Native People who embraced Christianity during the years of the King Philip war. Reverend Eliot became known as the "Apostle to the Indians".
The Hassanamesit tribal lands form a focal junction for long distance travel corridors followed by the Indians. The map (left) displays the centrality of the Hassanamesit lands with routes leading from the Massachusetts Bay (Bay Path/Old Connecticut Path) along with other routes from Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Connecticut, western Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.The location along the Quinsigamond River provided easy access to the Nashua River valley to the north for travel to the White Mountains of New hampshire and the Maine coast. The picture (left) taken from the summit of Potter Hill in Grafton shows the landscape up the Quinsigamond River and Lake Quinsigamond with Worcester in the foreground. Mount Wachusett In Princeton (MA) and the Wapack mountain range in southern New Hampshire are clearly visible across the Nashua River valley to the north. The spectacular view in all directions from the summit of Potter Hill was likely to have been enjoyed by the Hassanamiscos and native people who lived here for thousands of years. The Grafton Land Trust's Potter Hill Meadows & George Knowlton Preserve provide access to the vistas enjoyed from the summit of Potter Hill. For details and directions, visit the Grafton Land Trust Potter Hill web page.
Visitors to Grafton and Millbury (MA) can find traces of the Hassanamesit Nipmuck presence within the Quinsigamond and Blackstone River valleys. The modern landscape along the river valleys reflects industrial and suburban development in lands that once formed the core of the Hassanamesit Nipmuck tribal lands. The Native Indians moved within their tribal lands with changes of the seasons. While their lives left few artifacts of the places they lived, the area in which they lived provided rich land for their crops, rivers teaming with fish, and woodlands with abundant game.The map (left) can be enlarged to see the convergence of the Blackstone and Quinsigamond Rivers, and the surrounding hills that formed the core of Hassanamesit. Some of the landmarks that can be found are highlighted on the map.
1. Grafton Common, RT 140, Grafton, MA:
The Hassanamesit historical marker (see picture above) stands on the Grafton Common.
Daniel Gookin (left), Commissioner of Indian Affairs, accompanied Rev. John Eliot on his travels to visit the Praying Indians along the Old Connecticut Path. Gookin recorded that the praying town in Grafton was about 2 miles east of the Blackstone River. The route of the Old Connecticut Path from Grafton Center is little more than 2 miles. The intersection of trails at Grafton Center, the richness of the land and other landmarks (see below) suggest that the Grafton Praying Town was located in the vicinity of the Common prior to the King Philip's War.2. Indian Burying Ground 1664, Providence Road/RT 122, Grafton:
The Indian cemetery located on the ridge above the Quinsigamond River is an important marker of the place important to the
Hassanamesit Nipmuck people who converted to Christianity. The 1664 marker within the cemetery predates the King Philip's War suggesting that the burial ground was close to the earliy Praying Church. The cemetery overlooks the rich bottom land found along the Quinsigamond River. The offering of corn in the Fall reflects importance of this place of honor by today's Hassanamesit Nipmuck people. The "Thomas Hooker Trail" marker on the Old Connecticut Path stood within 100 yards of the burial ground on RT 122. Additional information about the may be found in the Blackstone Daily article Indian Burial Ground Rededication
Sign in the picture left/above reads: "Indian Burying Ground 1664". Inscription on the boulder center/above reads "Eliot's Band of Praying Indians 1660"
3. Hassanamesit Woods, Keith Hill Road, Grafton:
Hassanamesit Woods has been the site of archeological excavations conducted by University of Massachusetts-Boston. For more information on the archeological study, the history of the people who lived at Hassanamesit, and guides for exploring the site, please visit the Hassanamesit Woods web site http://www.fiskecenter.umb.edu/Hassamenesit%20Web/Hassanamesit%20index.htm
4. Friendly Hassanamiscos Burial Ground, RT 122/Providence Road & Oak Street, Grafton
Hassanamesit Woods is a site of the Praying Indian village likely after the King Philip's War when English Settlement expanded into the area and the native population declined. The location high on Keith Hill and away from the richer lands along the rivers may reflect the displacement of the remaining Praying Indians from the "prime" real estate valued by the English settlers.Hassanamesit Woods has a story to tell that stretches over hundreds of years. The site bridges the meeting of two cultures on Keith Hill in Grafton and connects them to a specific natural landscape. Once the site of a “praying Indian village,” Hassanamesit’s complex history and remarkable resources include an archaeological record, documented ownership by Nipmuc Indians through the 19th century, and an evolving agricultural and natural landscape that reflects its human uses.
A small monument stands in the Old Burial Ground on Oak Street and RT 122. The marker honoring "The Friendly Hassanamiscos Indian Burial Ground - Naos 1596-1676 - His Descendents" stands on a rise opposite Grafton High School and looking out over Lake Ripple (left) on the Quisigamond River. James the Printer is among those honored. He played a key roll in the translation and printing of Rev. John Eliot's translation of the Bible to the native Algonquian language.
5. Hassanamesit Reservation & Longhouse, Brigham Hill Road, Grafton:
The Hassanamesit "Indian Reservation" historic marker on Brigham Hill Road is another significant place. Still owned by the Hassanamisoc Nipmuck tribe, the 4.5 acres have always belonged to the tribe. Looking south over the Quisignamond valley, the Longhouse and lands are the remains of tribal land that was originally measured in tens of thousands of acres. Today, the longhouse and reservation are part of the Hassanimisco Indian Reservation and a national historic place. For more information on the history of the reservation and ongoing tribal activities, visit the Hassanamisco Museum web site (http://nipmucmuseum.org/home).
6. Blackstone River Gorge, South Main Street, Millbury
The Blackstone River gorge runs next to the center of Millbury (MA) along the likely route of the Bay Path. The waters of the Blackstone River were harnessed for power used in the mills built along the river from Worcester (MA) down to Pawtucket (RI). The wild, unharnessed river would have seen annual Salmon migrations. The fast flowing waters and rocky shores of the Blackstone River gorge would be a valuable fishing ground for the Hassanamisco Nipmuck Indians. The gorge is visible from the bridge on South Main Street. The shoreline above the gorge has largely been developed.Millbury is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. The National Park Service Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor web site includes a brochure for a self-guided walking tour of Millbury available at http://www.nps.gov/blac/planyourvisit/upload/Millbury_2012.pdf
7. Mt. Ararat/Horne Hill Soastone Quarry-Brierly Conservation Area, Harris Ave, Millbury
Mount Ararat (aka Horne Hill) in Millbury was the site of a soapstone quarry used by the Indians for traditional carvings, cooking slabs, and other objects. A description of the archeological survey of the quarry area with artifact pictures was published by the Massachusetts Archeological Society The Horne Hill Soapstone Quarry. The quarry lies within town owned conservation land. The old common road leading from Harris Ave to Millbury Common is now closed to traffic. Walking along the old roadway that was likely built upon an earlier Native path, side trails lead to Mount Ararat and the soapstone ledges. No trail guide is currently available for this area. Check for updated maps and description of the conservation area at the Millbury (MA) Conservation Commission web page.
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