Quabbin Voices The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter Quabbin Reservoir Once Part of Tribal Land of Weakapaug Indians by Donald Duffy Winter 2018 Vol.31 No.4 Editor’s Note: The last issue of Quabbin Voices featured a story on the Quabbin Oak, now reduced to a We must hear and listen trunk with no branches. At the recent to all of Quabbin’s many Board of Directors meeting and the Voices. Voices of the Past, last Tuesday Tea, I suggested that the as well as Voices of the Quabbin Oak might become a memori- Present and of the Future. al to the Native Americans of the Swift Voices of the Trees, the River Valley, thereby remedying a long- Sky, the Rain that falls, standing oversight. The suggestion was heartily supported by both and all the Wild Things; groups. For that reason, it seemed Voices of the People who appropriate to provide some relevant depend on this valuable history. Donald Duffy provided this resource for their daily article to the Voices in 2012, but there needs of clean water, and was not space at the time to publish it. Voices of those who draw It is reprinted now with permission. upon it for deeper needs The idea was planted then that more Re-enactor Nipmuc Youth Council dancers, Enfield Bicentennial of the Soul. attention should be paid. At the 2016 (photo by Kevin Kopchynski) —Les Campbell Enfield Bicentennial in 2016 there was another step; Nipmuc re-enactors were an Wekshikpaug, were known as the people from CONTENTS important part of the event. This might be the the end of the pond. The people from the red next step—one visible, constant reminder to all pond, Misquiboag, later called Quaboag Pond, Weakapaug Tribal Land .1 visitors who need to be aware of all the sacrifices were most likely the same people and lived in President’s Message . .2 represented by the Quabbin. villages a few miles from each other. Dana to Enfield Tower . .5 Quabbin Reservoir was once part of the group Information recently found at the Massachusetts Interpretive Services . .6 land of the Weakapaug Indians last sited in Archives goes far in explain ing the limits and 2018 Holiday Party . .8 West Brookfield. The Weakapaugs were part of extent of the tribal land. Otters . .10 the somewhat larger Quaboag Indian group. At the end of the King Philip’s War, the Meetings & Events . .11 As researched in the book, Around Pottequadic, Quaboag Indians were either killed, enslaved, by Donald Duffy, tribal lands of the Weakapaug or fled their tribal area. One of the survivors and the Misquiboag extended from the western settled among the Stockbridge Indians in slopes of Mt. Wachusett to the west of the West Stockbridge. This Indian petitioned the colonial Branch of the Swift River. The group land ran government to receive acknowledgement of his from Monson northerly to North Dana and “native right” as a descendent of the previous Petersham. They controlled land in the Swift sachem of the Weakapaug Indians. He claimed River, Ware River, and Quaboag River water- his tribe had not received payment for their sheds. land as required by law. By the beginning of European settlement in This Indian made several attempts to receive New England, the Weakapaug, or perhaps his “native right” and as part (continued on page 7) 2 | The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter–Winter 2018 President’s The Hatfield Historical Society has some very interesting pro- grams scheduled over the next six months which I’m going to Message mark on my calendar. They include “Whately and Hatfield in Shay’s Rebellion” and “Through Marion’s Eyes, Medicine in Winter 2018 World War I”. To learn more about the Hatfield Historical Society and their future and past events, please visit their website: https://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com/events.html The New Salem Academy (NSA) Gene Theroux Board of trustees had The last few months have been busy and very rewarding their Fall but also demanding of many skills ranging from history, Meeting on curation/restoration, video editing, public presentation and Saturday, debating. November 17, 2018 at I was invited to provide a presentation at the Hatfield Historical Herrick’s Tavern Society on Thursday evening, November 15, 2018 at the in Orange, Congregational Church Parlors in Hatfield. This year marked New Salem Academy Trustees at their Massachusetts to fall meeting review scholar- ship and grant applications; they awarded $17,400 in scholar- ships and grants during this meeting. As a trustee, I attended. The last order of business was a motion by NSA President Dan Hammock to donate $1,000 to the Friends of Quabbin for the Quabbin Park Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Fund. The NSA Trustees voted and approved this motion unanimous- ly. NSA President Dan Hammock informed me that he wanted to be sure that it was known that the NSA fully endorses the restoration and preservation of Quabbin Park Cemetery. Gene Theroux at Hatfield Historical Society talking about a slide, “Remembering the veterans of the Great War from the Swift River Valley” the 80th anniversary of the elimination of the four towns that occurred on April 28, 1938. My presentation to the Hatfield Historical Society included the video that I created for the 2016 Friends of Quabbin Annual Meeting. I modified the video for the Hatfield event. The content of the video included an excerpt from the audio, “Here Was Home” CD track 7, Smith’s Village, “Anonymous Poem” narrated by Bob Wilder and his- toric photos from Enfield and from the Valley. The “Here Was Home” CD provides a history of the Swift River Valley and the Vintage Postcard of the New Salem Academy and boarding houses Quabbin Reservoir; it is available for purchase at the Quabbin Visitor Center. I was pleasantly surprised at the attendance at I’ve written previously that the New Salem Academy was a the event in spite of a weather report calling for five or more significant part of the Swift River Valley Story. Many former inches of snow that evening. The Hatfield Historical Society’s valley residents attended the New Salem Academy and a signif- President is Cher Nicolas; she is also a member of the Friends icant number of them are interred at Quabbin Park Cemetery. of Quabbin. The evening included a “potluck” dinner and a In the late 18th century, there were no high schools in the Swift business meeting. The Hatfield Historical Society gave the River Valley. On February 25, 1795, Massachusetts Governor Friends of Quabbin a $100 donation for the Quabbin Park Samuel Adams signed the original legislation creating New Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Fund. Thank you to the Salem Academy. The Trustees of New Salem Academy, an Hatfield Historical Society for their generous contribution. organization provided for in that legislation to manage the The Friends of Quabbin Newsletter–Winter 2018 | 3 affairs of The Academy, has been in continuous existence for Josnocha became Joe Jelski. The mailman coined the name 224 years. (perhaps he couldn’t say Josnocha) and refused to use Josnocha’s real name. The third video was an Oral History There were some alumni of interview of Stanley Boyko who provided our oral histories with NSA who became quite a verbal tour of Enfield from the Belchertown town line to the notable in adult life. One such Sanderson Garage on Main Street, some 1800 feet short of the was Emmeline B. Wells Enfield village center. All three interviews were conducted by (1828-1921) who was born in Larry Lowenthal. While the videos are not full length documen- Petersham and graduated taries, they, nevertheless, required substantial effort and skill to from NSA at the age of four- select excerpts from the oral histories and images from our teen. Emmeline was an files and to combine them into a seamless story. For example, American journalist, editor, the resources for these three videos were: the town reports of poet, women’s right advocate Enfield, Massachusetts, GenealogyBank (an archive of old and diarist. Wells became an newspaper articles), Ancestry.com, Jon Melick’s Time Travel advocate of women’s rights, Tours, and the Oral History index files done by Nancy writing under the name Emmeline B. Wells Huntington of the Quabbin Visitor Center staff. I’d also like to “Blanche Beechwood” for the thank Paul Godfrey and Clif Read for their contributions of Woman’s Exponent. She was photographs from our historic photo files—both of them active in the national women’s suffrage movement, where she responded within minutes of my request(s). These three videos, served as liaison between Mormon and non-Mormon women 1) Oral History Interview Movie Joe Jelski Ice Business, 2) Oral and fielded hostile criticism associated with the practice of History Interview Movie Joe Jelski Barbershop in Enfield, and polygamy. On the national level, she was closely associated 3) Oral History Interview Movie Stanley Boyko A Tour of with both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Enfield, are available for viewing on the Friends of Quabbin YouTube channel which is linked off the Friends of Quabbin A bust of Wells, inscribed “A Fine Soul website (Links & Resources menu): www.foquabbin.org. Who Served Us”, is found in the rotun- Both Dottie and Stanley received DVD copies. da of the Utah State Capitol. The bust was funded through the efforts of women’s groups in Utah, including the The Friends of feminist community, Latter Day Saints Quabbin was well women’s groups, and women’s groups represented at the from other church organizations and December 3rd, 2018 was made posthumously as a tribute meeting of the to Wells.