In the years immediately before English Puritans settled on the Shawmut Peninsula, a series of epidemics nearly wiped out the indigenous population of New England. The worst of these plagues was centered on Boston Harbor, and swept from Narragansett Bay in the south to the Penobscot River in the North. It was the greatest tragedy to befall Native peoples of the region, who sometimes referred to it as “the Great Dying,” while English settlers called it a “wonderful plague” or a “prodigious pestilence.” They believed the disease had been sent by God to purge the native inhabitants of the continent and make way for his chosen people.
Apocalypse on Boston Bay
- Excerpts from the New English Canaan, in which Thomas Morton describes the woods of Massachusetts as “a new found Golgatha.”
- A footnote quoting John Smith of Jamestown fame on the state of Massachusetts Bay before the disease outbreak.
- The 1620 Charter of New England creating the Plimoth colony, in which King James I calls the epidemic a “wonderful plague.”
- Cotton Mather refers to the death of the native population as a “prodigious pestilence.”
- Pilgrim Nathaniel Morton praises the epidemic for “removing the heathen.”
- Prince’s Chronology records Ferdinando Gorges’ attempt to colonize Massachusetts, and later notes the second plague to strike the Massachusett people.
- John Winthrop’s journal entry notes the death of Chickatawbut among the third epidemic to strike the Massachusett people.
- Charles Francis Adams warns us not to take the word “plague” in 17th century sources too literally.
- Daniel Gookin believed the epidemic was yellow fever.
- A journal article suggesting an alternative cause of the New England epidemics.
- An article summarizing the experience of “The Great Dying.”
Boston Book Club
Our pick for the Boston Book Club this week is a book from city archaeologist Joe Bagley called A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts. This week’s episode is about the indigenous culture in and around Boston right after their first contact with English settlers. Unfortunately, there is little documentary history to show us how native peoples experienced this contact, and what documents exist were almost all created by Europeans. Native voices are largely represented by artifacts of their material culture.
A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts uses material culture to tell the story of Boston from prehistory through the mid-20th century. Bagley uses beautifully shot images of each artifact alongside essays about each one to tell the reader about the relic, its history, and what it can tell us about life in Boston at the time it was created. Of the fifty items that are cataloged, seven are artifacts from the indigenous people who lived in Boston before it was Boston. They range from a 7,500 year old spear point dug up on Boston Common to the largest existing piece of woven cloth made by Northeastern tribes that dates to the 1400s or 1500s, to a copper arrowhead created in the brief window after local tribes began trading with Europeans but before English settlers arrived in Massachusetts.
Here’s how the publisher describes the book:
History is right under our feet; we just need to dig a little to find it. Though not the most popular construction project, Boston’s Big Dig has contributed more to our understanding and appreciation of the city’s archaeological history than any other recent event. Joseph M. Bagley, city archaeologist of Boston, uncovers a fascinating hodgepodge of history—from ancient fishing grounds to Jazz Age red-light districts—that will surprise and delight even longtime residents. Each artifact is shown in full color and accompanied by description of the item’s significance to its site location and the larger history of the city. From cannonballs to drinking cups and from ancient spears to chinaware, A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts offers a unique and accessible introduction to Boston’s history and physical culture while revealing the ways objects can offer a tantalizing entrée into our past.
Packed with vivid descriptions and art, this lively history of Boston will appeal to all manner of readers, locals and visitors alike.
The best part is that proceeds from sales of the book go to the city archaeology department to help fund future digs.
Upcoming Events
And for our upcoming event this week, we are featuring a lunchtime talk at the Massachusetts Historical Society on March 6 at 12pm. Peter Olsen-Harbich, a PhD candidate at the College of William and Mary, will be presenting on his dissertation, titled “A Meaningful Subjection: Coercive Inequality and Indigenous Political Economy in the Colonial Northeast.” Here’s how the MHS website describes it:
This talk presents archaeological and documentary evidence of indigenous authority structures and law enforcement in northeastern North America in the period immediately prior to European settlement. It then evaluates European comprehension of indigenous mechanisms of rule enforcement, and the degree to which awareness of them factored into designs for colonization.
The talk is free, and reservations are not required. Just bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy during the lecture.
Because March 6 is still a long way off, and because we know not everyone can get to the MHS during the middle of a workday, we have a bonus event this week. On Wednesday, February 20 at 6pm, William M Fowler, Jr will be giving a talk at the main branch of the public library in Copley Square. Fowler is a past director of the Massachusetts Historical Society, consulting editor at The New England Quarterly, honorary professor of history at Northeastern University, and a prolific author with several volumes of maritime history to his name.
His talk is titled “Boston Looks Seaward: A History of the Port of Boston.” Here’s how the website describes it:
Nestled between the granite face of Cape Anne and the beckoning finger of Cape Cod, for nearly 400 years Boston has set her face to the sea. William M. Fowler, Jr explores the evolution of the city’s relation with its oceanic neighbor. First came the fishermen and explorers, next arrived the settlers and immigrants. In the nineteenth century in his East Boston yards, Donald McKay built clipper ships whose sailing records have yet to be broken. Today, Boston continues to look seaward as we embrace our maritime heritage.
This talk is also free, but in this case registration is required.