Brown Bag Speaker Series at Hitchcock Academy

Hitchcock welcomes its next Brown Bag Speaker Series installation – A Rock & A Hard Place: Brimfield at Odds with the Winthrop Family

Oct 21 | 12:30pm (lunch* served at noon)

$10 ($20 w/prepared lunch - half sandwich, soup, chips & beverage - reservations required)

The talk will likely run approximately one hour, and additional time is reserved for questions and discussion.

*Bagged lunches may also be brought in

Local author Don Duffy digs into the Brimfield chapters of his latest book, "Native Americans React to British Incursions".

In 1644, English Puritans led by John Winthrop II (the son of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first governor and later the governor of the Connecticut Colony) first explored an area known to the native Nipmuc people as Tantiusques, which translates to "a black deposit between two hills".

Recognizing the value of the region's "black lead" (graphite), Winthrop purchased the land from the local Nipmuc sachem, Tantasqua. He established what became one of the earliest and most significant colonial commercial mines in New England, extracting graphite, lead, and iron.

The Winthrop family retained control over the Sturbridge mining lands for 140 years.

This talk examines upset among Brimfield farmers from a time when the mining land fell within Brimfield territory.

About the Author

Don Duffy began his writing career as a result of his time serving on the Town of Palmer Conservation Committee. That involvement sparked an interest in the area, and he began researching and discovering interesting facts about the region. He wanted to be sure that the information was recorded and that inspired him to write.  He is the author of four books.

About "Native Americans React to British Incursions"

Following the defeat of the Native Americans in the King Philip’s War of 1675-1676 in Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut, the Native Americans came under pressure from a very large armed force from Connecticut heading north. The Native Americans had to decide to remain and fight and risk further death, capture and enslavement or they had to leave. They fled to the Hudson River Valley in New York where other Algonquians held land.

Not all Native Americans had joined in the War. Uncas and his Mohegans from Norwich, Connecticut, sided with the British. At the beginning of the war, many Nipmucks living near the Quinebaug River Valley moved close to Norwich under the protection of Uncas. At the conclusion of the War, the Nipmucks returned to their historic lands and spread out even further to good land vacated by the defeated Natives. Shortly thereafter, they had to deal with incoming English and Scots-Irish settlers.

For more information, visit www.hitchcockacademy.org. Hitchcock Academy is a community center located at 2 Brookfield Road in Brimfield serving the community with educational, recreational, and cultural programming.