Wamesit

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Wamesit was a native village and later praying town in 1600s Massachusetts Bay Colony, situated at the juncture of the Concord River and Merrimack River, [1] in present day downtown Lowell, Massachusetts.

In 1655, the Massachusetts Bay Colony formally recognized Wamesit, [2] giving it a charter as a praying town as part of the larger missionary efforts of John Eliot and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England.

During King Phillip's War, 'praying Indians' faced danger from both non-Christianized native groups and English settlers. [3] When the English interned many praying Indians on Deer Island, many of the praying Indians of Wamesit fled north to shelter with other Abenaki kin in northern New England. [4]

After the war, in 1685, most of the remaining native deeds in Wamesit were sold to English settlers by Wannalancit. [2] Wamesit was annexed into Chelmsford in 1726. [2]

References

  1. ↑ Gookin, Daniel (1674). Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society: Gookin's Historical Collections of Indians in New England. Robarts - University of Toronto. Boston [etc.] p. 197.
  2. 1 2 3 "History". Middlesex North Registry of Deeds. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  3. ↑ Patchett, Joshua (January 3, 2023). "The Tragedy of the Praying Indians - The Mallard" . Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  4. ↑ "From paradise to prison". Partnership of Historic Bostons. Retrieved February 18, 2026.


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