Upriver to Menimesit

The day was cool, cloudy, and showery as I paddled against the Ware River's steady current this past Monday morning.  My motivation to paddle this stretch of river resulted from reading Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War by Lisa Brooks in which she places her three main historical characters at Menimesit, a Native American (Nipmuc) stronghold.  In the 1675-1676 time period Menimesit consisted of three separate villages along the eastern bank of the Ware River in New Braintree, Massachusetts.

I'd previously paddled to where the "upper village" was located in Barre, MA, but the other two villages (lower and middle) had thus far eluded me.  In another book, King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict by Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias the authors refer to this historical place as follows: "Menamesit (sometimes Wenimessit) was perhaps the most important Native American military site of the war, and the site to which the Nipmuc fled immediately after the outbreak of hostilities in 1675."  As to the actual locations, they provide a detailed description in relationship to Hardwick Road.  I transferred their information to a map found on the Massachusettspaddler.com web site...

...and thus equipped, looked for a spot to launch into the river.  My original plan was to use the Old Furnace Launch in Hardwick but the water levels there were a little too high for my comfort.  Across the river, on the New Braintree side just upstream from an abandoned bridge abutment, I found a shallower spot and began paddling towards the "lower village".

Shortly after passing under the abandoned Central Mass railroad bridge (now an unpaved rail trail)...

  ...I reached the confluence where Winimusset Brook enters the river...

Thanks to the high water level I was able to paddle about 500 feet up the brook to a beaver dam not far from Hardwick Road...

The "lower village" was easily reached from the brook's bank...

Schultz and Tougias describe this village having been located on a "a flat plain of about 5 acres, bordered by the brook on one side... with the village about 20 rods from the Ware River."  They also mention that the "site is marked by a small, inscribed stone on the north side of Hardwick Road just east of Wenimisset Brook."  I found the old stone marker right where they said it was...

 ...and after some brushing was able to read the inscription...

"Site of King Philips Camp August 1675".  King Philip (aka Metacom) was a Wampanoag leader, and the conflict's namesake, who found refuge here with the Nipmucs shortly after the outbreak of the war.  With his being the most wanted man in New England this spot (with easy access to the brook and river) would have been an ideal spot from which to quickly evade pursuers.  In southern New England there's no shortage of places claiming King Philip's presence without much in the way of proof.  However, this is one spot where he, more than likely, really was.  Because of the low elevation in relationship to the brook and river here, this was probably a summer village as opposed to one used year-round.

I left "lower village" and paddled out of the brook to the river where I resumed heading upriver towards "middle village".  After paddling about a mile and through the narrow bend in the opening photo I got my first look at the elevated plateau where the village stood...

After landing and walking across the floodplain I reached the slope leading to the plateau.  At the top I found the "the flat plain of about 40 acres" that Schultz and Tougias mention "stretching to the river"...

Because of the higher elevation in relation to the river this site was more likely used year-round.  In Our Beloved Kin  Lisa Brooks describes captive Colonial woman Mary Rowlandson's arrival at this place in February of 1676 "the trail opened to a wide plain, full with the sounds of chattering families, the smoke of cook fires, and the barely discernible sensation of safety."  Rowlandson would spend about two weeks at this place before being taken further to the north and west by her captors.

Seeing this flat and fertile expanse reminded me of another Native American village location visited this past June...Nanrantsouak (Norridgewock) on the Kennebec River in Maine...a very similar riverside plateau.

Just upstream from "middle village" is the dam and paper mill ruins at Wheelwright...

As recently as 1973 it was a thriving industrial site...today not so much...

On my return trip downriver I stopped for lunch at the old railroad bridge that once served this mill...

Today it's an unpaved rail trail leading into Wheelwright.  From the vantage point of the bridge the Ware River's confluence with Winimisset Brook and the "lower village" is within view...

Before leaving these many abandoned entities I'd like to share this you-tube video by skyman2002 who captures the lonesome sound of a train horn echoing through the Ware River valley (especially at the end of his 3 minute video).