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54-506: Before Europeans arrived in the mid-17th century, Dracut and the surrounding area were known as Augumtoocooke . Important Pennacook Indian settlements were served by fishing at Pawtucket Falls on the Merrimack River and abundant game in the surrounding marsh areas . From the late 16th to mid-17th centuries, the powerful Sachem , Passaconaway and his family spent much of their lives on this land. Europeans began to settle in

108-409: A Needham cemetery to honor these veterans in 2003. The Praying Indian communities were able to exercise self-government and to elect their own rulers ( sachems ) and officials, to some extent exhibited continuity with precontact social system and used their own language as the language of administration of which a wealth of legal and administrative documents has survived. However, their self-government

162-718: A result of the unit integration in the Continental Army, most cases had no real concentration of Praying Indians in a single unit. Praying Indians served in dozens of distinct units throughout the Revolutionary War. The Battle of King's Bridge in the Bronx, where both Daniel Nimham, the last sachem of the Wappinger and his son Abraham were killed alongside some 60 members of the Stockbridge Militia

216-712: A split. They had extremely close ties to both the Puritan clergy that established the Praying towns, as well as non-Native peoples that lived among them. Despite the continued seizure of Native lands, the various Praying Indian communities realized that their continued survival could be ensured only by close ties to their communities. Support of a distant government would only alienate them from those who were in proximity. In particular, Praying Indians from Natick and Ponkapoag (now Canton ) served in large numbers. The borders of Natick have since changed and includes parts of what

270-539: A stable agrarian life. He converted so many that the group needed a large portion of land on which to grow their own crops. The law was on the side of the town, Elliot made a moral argument that the group had a need for land of their own. The case eventually went before the General Court, which granted the land in question to the Indians and, in compensation for the land lost, gave another piece of land in what

324-562: A town manager, superintendent of schools, and library director respectively to execute their various duties. The town of Dracut has its own full-time police department, the Dracut Police Department, which employs 39 police officers who utilize 15 various types of police vehicles to perform their duties. As of January 2014, the Department has a K-9 unit . The Department's headquarters is located at 110 Loon Hill Road in

378-517: Is a great difficulty & eamiot be attended by their children & several others by reason of the distance thereof) but will also be of considerable benefit to the Publick, and be a great strengthening of the Frontier parts by reason of the people which will be desirous to settle at said place when made a Township because of the convenient positionship thereof. Your Petitioners humbly pray that by

432-472: Is a notable exception. Historian George Quintal Jr. discusses Revolutionary war veterans who were Native American, African-American, and other minority groups in his book Patriots of Color: ‘A Peculiar Beauty and Merit’ . A sampling of histories of Praying Indian soldiers is found below. James Anthony was born in Natick and initially served for eight months in 1775 in the regiment of Col. Jonathan Ward and in

486-554: Is in proximity to many major area highways. Interstate 93 , Interstate 495 , and U.S. Route 3 are among the most traveled. Interstate 95 is not far from Dracut either (roughly 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 km) to the south), and the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) is only 30 to 35 miles (48 to 56 km) to the southeast, in Boston. Massachusetts Route 38 , Route 110 and Route 113 run directly through

540-556: Is no evidence of official discrimination towards Native American soldiers. They received equal pay and treatment as compared to their white counterparts. That is a direct contrast to unit segregation in the Civil War, for instance. African-American soldiers fought in segregated units, such as the 54th Massachusetts Regiment under Col. Robert Gould Shaw. They were initially paid less than their white counterparts. Soldiers of Native American origin fought in several significant battles during

594-467: Is today Deerfield, Massachusetts , to the Dedham settlers. The town's actions in the case were characterized by "deceptions, retaliations, and lasting bitterness" and harassed its Native neighbors with petty accusations even after the matter had been settled. There are several narratives regarding Native American history that are greatly underrepresented. A significant number of Praying Indians fought for

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648-536: The Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. During the war, the vast majority of those Indians had been completely assimilated into their surrounding Christian communities and had fewer significant ties to other Native communities. They fought in entirely integrated units, unlike the African-American soldiers who fought for their country from the Revolutionary War to World War II. There

702-874: The Quinebaug River in present-day Woodstock , the largest of the three northeastern Connecticut praying towns. The towns had a location that served as an outlying wall of defense for the colony, a function that came to an end in 1675, during King Philip's War . Praying Indians offered their service as scouts to the colonists in Massachusetts but were rejected by the Puritans in Boston. Instead, Praying Indian residents were first confined to their villages and were thus restricted from their farms and unable to feed themselves. Many were confined on Deer Island in Boston Harbor . John Eliot and many others in

756-551: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 21.4 square miles (55 km), of which 20.9 square miles (54 km) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km) (2.15%) is water. Dracut is located in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts , zip code 01826, 30 miles (48 km) northwest of the state capital, Boston . The southern end of Dracut is on the Merrimack River , and

810-855: The Warren Anatomical Museum . Under NAGPRA , the Mashpee Wampanoag and Nipmuc Nation were able to return his remains to the Pond Street Burial Ground in Needham (now Natick). Samuel Comecho served in the Battle of Bunker Hill under the command of Capt. Benjamin Bullard in Col. Jonathan Brewer's regiment. Born in Natick, Comecho enlisted for eight month's service and his unit held the line at Bunker Hill between

864-1060: The wigwam of Waban , the first convert of his tribe. Waban later offered his son to be taught in the ways of the European colonists and served as an interpreter. Eliot translated the Bible into the Massachusett language and published it in 1663 as Mamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum God . By 1675, 20% of New England's Natives were living in praying towns. Christian Indian Towns were eventually located throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts and included Littleton (Nashoba), Lowell (Wamesit, initially incorporated as part of Chelmsford ), Grafton (Hassanamessit), Marlborough (Okommakamesit), Hopkinton (Makunkokoag), Canton ( Punkapoag ), Mendon-Uxbridge (Wacentug), and Natick . Only Natick has retained its original name. Praying Indian Towns started by Eliot extended into Connecticut and included Wabaquasset (Senexet, Wabiquisset), six miles west of

918-576: The 19th century industries of paper making and cotton textile manufacturing, including the Beaver Brook Mill . These mills attracted Irish and French-Canadian immigrants. There has been intense modern development in Dracut with suburban residential pressures from Lowell . Twice in the 19th century, Lowell annexed large sections of Dracut into its borders. However, some rural landscapes remain intact, as do some handsome historic houses. One of

972-521: The 2020–2021 school year: The school department also uses the former Parker Elementary School for a small portion of its special education activities. There are about 45 public school students attending out of district SPED programs and approximately 120 public school students attending out of town charter schools, as of FY14. In addition, about 440 Dracut students attend the Greater Lowell Technical High School. Dracut

1026-458: The British during the Revolutionary War, but some decided to fight with the colonists. That inevitably led to clashes involving previously aligned groups, when Native tribes on opposite sides of the conflict met on the field of battle. For example, the Battle of Oriskany on August 6, 1777, saw Loyalist Seneca soldiers fighting against colonially-aligned Oneidas. The Praying Indians never saw such

1080-761: The Chelmsford side of the Merrimack River.) Even though this area, now known to the new settlers as Dracut (Draucutt), was across the Merrimack River from the Chelmsford town center, they agreed to pay taxes and relied on Chelmsford for protection, according to 1667 Middlesex Court documents. By summer 1669, however, protection became too costly and difficult, so the Chelmsford Mayor Henchman declared: Wherefore, Honorable and Worshipful, I judge it highly needful and necessary that we have relief, and that speedily of about twenty men or more for

1134-486: The Christian Indians , for example, documents English colonial prisoners of war (not, in fact, opposing combatants, but imprisoned members of allied Praying Indian) being enslaved and sent to Caribbean destinations. In the mid-17th century, John Eliot and a group of praying Indians from Dedham, Massachusetts , won a lengthy court battle and were awarded the title to the 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land in

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1188-570: The French and Indian War. He served in the company of Capt. Thomas Drury under the command of Col. John Nixon, and fought at Bunker Hill. He later re-enlisted in Col. Thomas Nixon's fourth Regiment in New York and fought at the Battles of Harlem Heights and White Plains. After his second discharge, he re-enlisted a second time, once again under Col. Thomas Nixon. He fought at the Battle of Saratoga and

1242-938: The General Court to lay out their own township. To the Hon. Council & Representatives of his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England in General Court assembled February 1701. The petition of Samuel Sewall Esq., Benjamin Walker, John Hunt & Jonathan Belcher, proprietors of part of the Tract of Land called Dracut beyond Chelmsford in the County of Middlesex on the North Side of Merrimack River and of Samuel Varnum, ..., Thomas Colburne, ..., James Richardson, ..., Ezra Colburn,... Inhabitants and Proprietors of

1296-919: The Parker Village section of the town. The town of Dracut is also secondarily protected by the Massachusetts State Police and is periodically patrolled by troopers from the A-1 barracks in Andover. The Dracut Fire Department is a 24/7 career fire department of approximately 40 firefighters. It responds from three fire stations located throughout the town. Station 1 – Headquarters: 488 Pleasant Street Station 2: 15 Jones Avenue Station 3: 539 Nashua Road The Dracut School Department consists of six public schools: one high school, one middle school (grades 6–8), and four elementary schools (grades K–5). They are, with enrollment figures from

1350-572: The Plymouth Colony tried to prevent it, but it is reported that it became dangerous in Massachusetts to talk positively about any Native Americans, which likely contributed to the initial successes of the Indian rebellion. The order for removal was passed in October 1675, and by December, well over 1,000 Christian Indians had been brought to the island, where many died during the winter due to

1404-733: The Propagation of the Gospel amongst the Indians." It and the success of Reverend John Eliot and other missionaries preaching Christianity to the New England tribes raised interest in England. In 1649, the Long Parliament passed an ordination forming "A Corporation for the Promoting and Propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ in New England," which raised funds to support the cause. Contributors raised approximately £12,000 to invest in

1458-565: The Revolutionary War such as Bunker Hill , Battle Road , Trenton , and Saratoga . The number of Praying Indian soldiers was likely over 100, but an entirely accurate count is hard to come by. Unlike other Native groups such as the Haudenosaunee Confederacy , the Praying Indians were cohesive and steadfast in their support for the colonists. The Iroquois Confederacy had several factions, most of which supported

1512-547: The Town. There is an elected board of selectmen and school committee with five members each elected for three-year staggered terms. The voters also elect a town moderator, library trustees, and some members of the housing authority. Those who live in the Dracut Water Supply District also elect a district moderator and water commissioners. The board of selectmen, school committee, and library trustees hire

1566-581: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 216585555 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:56:25 GMT Praying Indians Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England , New York , Ontario , and Quebec who converted to Christianity either voluntarily or involuntarily . Many groups are referred to by

1620-768: The area around 1653, and established the town of Chelmsford , incorporated in 1655, on the opposite side of the Merrimack River from modern Dracut. In October 1665, Bess, wife of Nobb How and daughter of Passaconaway, sold the Augumtoocooke land to Captain John Evered , also known as Webb of Draucutt of Norfolk County (the Webb family is associated closely with the town of Dreycot Foliat in Wiltshire, England) for four yards of duffill and one pound of tobacco . Webb had months earlier sold 11,000 acres (45 km) of

1674-485: The better known is the 290-year-old Colburn/Cutter House, with its massive beams, huge center chimney and fireplaces. The building, dating back from about 1717, has served as the site of the annual Dracut Craft Fair. In addition, Dracut holds an annual Old Home Day every September starting in 2001 [1] . As of 2020, Dracut remains the only town in the world with its exact name and spelling. Other municipalities do exist with similar names but different spellings. According to

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1728-789: The cause, to be used mainly in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and in the Province of New York . Eliot received financial aid from the corporation to start schools to teach the Native Americans. The Indian nations involved appear to have included the Massachusett and the Nipmuc . On October 28, 1646, in Nonantum (now Newton ), Eliot preached his first sermon to Native Americans in their Massachusett language in

1782-567: The company of Capt. James Mellen. He later re-enlisted for three years from 1777 to 1780 in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under Col. William Shepherd, serving in Capt. Reuben Slayton's company. The unit fought at Saratoga and was present at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777. Anthony was discharged 14 March 1780. Joseph Paugenit Jr. (Mashpee Wampanoag) was born in Framingham and was baptized in Natick in 1754. His father, Joseph Sr., fought during

1836-507: The grant of this Honorable Court, the Tract of land aforesaid may be made a Township, and that the Inhabitants, which are or shall settle thereupon, may have and enjoy all Libertys, Privileges & Immunities as the Inhabitants of other Towns within this Province have & do enjoy. And ... the Tract of Land therein described be made a Township & called by the name of Dracut, ... Sent up by concurrence Nehemiah Jewett, Speaker. Dracut

1890-549: The harsh conditions. The survivors were released in 1676. After the war, in part because of the loss of life, the General Court of Massachusetts disbanded 10 of the original 14 towns in 1677 and placed the rest under the supervision of colonists, but some communities survived and retained their religious and education systems. Indigenous peoples of the Americas including Praying Indians were trafficked through Atlantic trade routes. The 1677 work The Doings and Sufferings of

1944-512: The land — which he did not then own — to Samuel Varnum for 400 four hundred pounds ; the deed for "Drawcutt upon Mirrimack" was dated 1664. Webb also sold land to Richard Shatswell, who traded it to Edward Colburn (also spelled "Coburn" or "Colborne") for his home and land in Ipswich, Massachusetts . Colburn and his family were probably the first settlers in Dracut who owned land with the intention of permanently living on it. (Samuel Varnum lived on

1998-668: The name. The districts are titled: Bridge Street, Broadway, Collinsville, Dracut Center, East Dracut, Hovey Square, Kenwood, Lakeview, and Navy Yard Districts. Dracut is bordered by Tyngsboro to the west and the city of Lowell to the south and west in Middlesex County, Methuen to the east in Essex County , and Pelham , New Hampshire , to the north in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire . Tewksbury (Middlesex County) and Andover (Essex County) border

2052-462: The redoubt and the rail fence. He re-enlisted on the first day of 1776 in Col. Asa Whitcomb's regiment and served in Capt. William Hudson Ballard's company in the Canadian theater. It was reported that he died on March 14, 1776. The cause of death was likely smallpox. The sacrifices made by Praying Indians and other minority groups during the Revolutionary War have never been properly celebrated. It

2106-580: The repulsing of the enemy and guarding some outplaces, which are considerable on each side of the Merrimac, as Messrs. Howard, Varnum, Coburn & company who must otherwise come in to us, and leave what they have to the enemy, or be exposed to the merciless cruelty of bloody and barbarous men. On the morning of March 18, 1676, the Wamesit Indians burned down four of Edward Colburne's buildings, then attacked Samuel Varnum and family as they crossed

2160-484: The river to milk the cows grazing in the Dracut pastures. The Indians fired upon their boat, killing Samuel's two sons, and one died in his daughter's arms as she sat behind him. The accompanying soldiers and Samuel fired back, but the Indians fled. By the late 17th century the Varnum, Coburn, Richardson, and other families of the Dracut section of Chelmsford, dissatisfied with the protection provided, began to petition to

2214-479: The said Tract of Land called Dracut, ... lyes very commodious for a Township & hath about twenty families already settled thereupon in which are about Eighty Souls & Forasmuch as the making said place a Township will not only be a great Encouragement to the Inhabitants thereof & be the means for a settlement of the Ministry among them (for the benefit of which they are now obliged to go to Chelmsford, which

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2268-651: The term, but it is more commonly used for tribes that were organized into villages. The villages were known as praying towns and were established by missionaries such as the Puritan leader John Eliot and Jesuit missionaries who established the St. Regis and Kahnawake (formerly known as Caughnawaga) and the missions among the Huron in western Ontario . In 1646, the General Court of Massachusetts passed an "Act for

2322-419: The town is bisected by Beaver Brook . As part of a plan titled 'Make It Dracut', the town's Economic Development Committee designated nine Business Districts. With a couple exceptions, district names mirror those of historic neighborhoods within the town. Each district is visually identified by strategically placed street signage bearing the district name and a stylized symbol incorporating the initial letter of

2376-568: The town that is now known as Natick. The dispute, which lasted from 1651 to 1665 and flared up again sporadically in the years afterward, centered on the Indians' use of a tract of land along the Charles River. They claimed to have an agreement to use the land for farming with the Town Fathers, but Dedham officials objected to them. Eliot had converted many of the native people in the area to Christianity and taught them how to live

2430-402: The town to the south over the Merrimack River . There are no bridges connecting Dracut to Tewksbury or Andover directly, forcing travel through Lowell via several crossings or I-93 in Methuen. The earliest census data shows the town of Dracut having a population of 1,173 residents in 1765. As of the census of 2010, there were 29,457 people, 10,451 households, and 7,733 families residing in

2484-413: The town was $ 23,750. About 2.7% (U.S. Average: 9.2%) of families and 3.7% (U.S. Average: 12.4%) of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Dracut is one of the largest towns in Massachusetts to still be governed by an open town meeting, whereby every registered voter is entitled to gather at stated times to conduct the business of

2538-415: The town. The LRTA 10 bus connects to the Lowell train station on the MBTA Commuter Rail Lowell Line . The Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline terminates in Dracut, connecting to the North American natural gas pipeline grid. The Portland Natural Gas Transmission System (PNGTS)), Tennessee Gas and the TransQuebec interconnect here. Pennacook Too Many Requests If you report this error to

2592-405: The town. The population density was 1,366.7 inhabitants per square mile (527.7/km). There were 10,643 housing units at an average density of 509.3 per square mile (196.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was: Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.55% of the population (U.S. Average: 12.5%). There were 10,939 households with the average household size was 2.69 and the average family size

2646-464: Was Needham , Dedham . The first significant engagements Praying Indians participated in were the Battles of Battle Road and Bunker Hill. Approximately five out of the estimated 21 Native Americans at Battle Road were from Praying Indian communities, and out of the estimated 103 Native Americans at Bunker Hill, about 10 were Praying Indians from the Natick area (primary source confirmation of service histories has numbers that are significantly less). As

2700-454: Was 3.17. In the town, the population had a median age of 41.1 years (U.S. Average: 35.3). For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 57,676 (U.S. Average: $ 41,994), and the median income for a family was $ 65,633 (U.S. Average: $ 50,046). Males had a median income of $ 41,873 versus $ 31,396 for females. The per capita income for

2754-570: Was gradually curtailed in the 18th and 19th centuries, when their languages also became extinct. During that period, most of the original Praying Towns eventually declined because of epidemics and the communal land property of others passing out of Native control. The Indian-inhabited areas were eventually transformed into "Indian districts." In the 21st century, people who identify as descendants of Praying Indians have formed different organizations. They are unrecognized and are not federally recognized tribes or state-recognized tribes . These include

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2808-434: Was granted separation from Chelmsford, and was officially incorporated as a town on February 26, 1701. Parts of the community were part of the Wamiset Praying Town, one of the preserves set aside by the colonists for Christianized Indians . The town has several large ponds, bogs and swamps, and numerous brooks (most notably Beaver Brook ). Dracut's early economy relied on fishing, lumbering and milling, which led in turn to

2862-416: Was not until the 20th century that these veterans were first recognized. The town of Natick installed a monument to Native American veterans of the Revolutionary War in 1900, which still stands today on Pond Street near Natick Center. However, it was not until Needham historian Robert D. Hall Jr. that their final resting places were properly honored. Hall and volunteers placed grave markers and American flags in

2916-517: Was reported as deceased soon after, likely as the result of wounds sustained during the battle or from contracting smallpox. Alexander Quapish (Wampanoag, 1741–1776), born in Wampanoag territory in Yarmouth, Massachusetts , enlisted in Dedham in 1775. He served as a member 13th Massachusetts Regiment of Col. Jonathan Brewer. He took ill in November 1775 and died in Needham in March 1776. Michael Bacon cared for him in his last days and conducted his burial. Quapish's remains were disinterred and donated to

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