Governors Academy - Milestone Yearbook (Byfield, MA)

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Fort Dummer By arrangement between Massachusetts and Connecticut various parcels of land were given to Connecticut in exchange for lands of which she had been deprived by a boundary rectification between the two colonies. One of these sections of' Equivalent Lands, as they were called, was an area of about 44,000 acres on the west bank of the Connecticut River within the now existing towns of Vernon, Brattleboro, Dummerston and Putney. The lands were sold at Hartford in 1716 and this section came into the ownership of four men, William Dummer, acting Governor ofthe Province of Massachusetts Bay, YYilliam,Brattle of Cambridge, and Anthony Stoddard and John White of Boston. Scarcely had the acting Governor and his associates come into possession of this valuable land when occurred Dummer's iYar, 1722-1726. This was really but a fresh outbreak of' hostilities which had never been quelled. Though there was peace between England and France,the Northern Indians began anewtheir raids threaten- ing the plantations and towns of the Connecticut valley. Colonel John Stoddard of Northampton wrote to the Lieut. Governor urging protection for this area. On December 27, 1723, the General Court of the Province of Massachusetts Bay resolved: That it will be ofgreat service to all the western frontiers. both in this and the neighboring government of' Connecticut, to build a Block House above Northfield in the most convenient place on the land called Equivalent Land, and to post in it forty able men. English and Western Indians, to be employed in scouting at a good distance up the Connecticut River, VN'est River, Otter Creek and sometimes eastwardly above Monadnock for the discovery of the enemy coming towards any ofthe frontier towns. U The dutv of carrying this order into effect was intrusted to Colonel Stoddard - - :- because of his acquaintance with the needs of the northwestern frontier. He issued the following commission to Lieut. Timothy Dwight, then of Captain Kellogg's company of Northfield: In His Majesty's Name you are hereby Authorized, employed, oz required to Impress Horses, Utensils, K any other thing necessary to enable you to prosecute the building of the Blocl-1 House above Xfhfield. Dated at Nm Hampton, this thirty-first day ofjanl' in the tenth year of' His Mauiestfs Reign, .-Xnnoq' Domm, 1723-4. Joi-ix Sroooaao Puri :7Il5!w Colonel Stoddard on February 3, 172.t,wrote to Lieut. Governor Dummer: I have Committed the oversight of the Work about the Block House to Lieutm Dwight, ZX given him Instructions about the building according to the Projection I sent your Honor. On March 16, 1724, Lieut. Governor Dummer wrote to Timothy Dwight, now made Captain: I was well informed of your Capacitye for the Service you are in or I should not have placed you there, 6: I doubt not your Industry N fidelity. In a Short time you shall have the necessary instructions for your Government therein, 9

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