A Trap Door Saved His House

I have previously written about King Philip’s War (1675-1678); and, since that time, I found other family members whose life was touched by that same war:  Samuel Morse (1639-1717) and Joseph Allen (1652-1704), my husband’s 8th great-uncle and 6^th great grandfather, respectively.

King Philip - Google Images

Metacom, the Wampanoag Indian Chief, was also known as “King Philip.” In the 1600s (and today), the Wampanoag Indians, lived on the East Coast—primarily in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The Wampanoag Indians and the colonists had maintained a somewhat peaceful relationship. However, this “peaceful co-existence” did not continue once Metacom became the chief of the Wampanoag tribe. 

In its simplest form, King Philip’s War occurred because of violations—by both sides—of various peace treaties. These violations served to increase tension between the two parties. Additionally, a 1671 treaty required the Indians to surrender their firearms. Obviously, the Wampanoags would not want this provision. And, I can only imagine that Wampanoags did not turn in those firearms. Additionally, the tensions flared dramatically when three Indians were hanged for murder in the Plymouth Colony.  (I do wonder if they were rightly accused; and if they were, did they use those firearms which they were not to have.) The Indians retaliated by raiding villages, and the colonists in turn attacked and burned Indian villages:  This became a vicious cycle.  These activities lead up to February 21, 1676, in Medfield, Massachusetts. February 21, 1676, is considered to be the actual start of King Philip’s war. 

Location of Medfield, Mass. (green star)

 

The residents of Medfield, Massachusetts, had been hearing horror stories of towns in New England being burned to the ground and the residents of those towns being killed and scalped. So, the colonial residents would either spend their nights in local garrisons (also known as palisades) or sleeping with their firearms. However, the Medfield residents had become complacent as the Massachusetts Governor had stationed over 70 soldiers in the town and at least 75 of the men in town were armed. 

Setting fire to Colonist home - Google Images

Early in the morning of February 21, Samuel Morse went to his barn and discovered an Indian hiding under the hay. Morse fled with his family as the Indian set fire to Morse’s barn and home. This was the signal for the rest of the Indians, who were hiding under bushes and fences and behind barns, to torch Medfield. The Indians were well-armed with weapons, ammunition, and combustible materials. In the end, over 32 homes, two mills, multiple barns, and several miscellaneous buildings were destroyed; 17 settlers (including at least three children) and 3 soldiers were dead along with an unknown number of Native Americans, and at least one child was taken hostage; and horses and livestock were burned alive. So, how does Joseph Allen fit into all of this?

Joseph Allen’s home was the only house in the north end of town to survive the attack. When the Allen’s received word of the attack, the family fled to the town garrison, leaving behind – and unprotected – their homestead.

Colonial Cooper - Google Images

Joseph was a cooper. A cooper builds and repairs barrels and crates. In his workshop, Joseph had a lot of wood shavings. The Indians used these shavings by piling them up in the house and setting them on fire. However, they did not pay attention to where they were lighting the fire: on top of a trap door. As the trap door caught fire, it fell through into the dirt basement, and the fire went out. The homestead was saved because the fire was set in the wrong location. 

Though Joseph Allen is just a footnote in history; he has become famous because of the way his house was not destroyed.

Joseph Allen house as it looks today

Resources used:

--DeSorgher, Richard. Uniquely Medfield: “Once Upon a Town: Medfield Under Attack.” 28 Sept. 2012, https://patch.com/massachusetts/medfield/uniquely=medfield-once-upon-a-town-medfield-under-attack.

--DeSorgher, Richard. “While Hawaii Will Note Pearl Harbor and NYC Will Always Remember 9/11, Medfield Will Never Forget the Events of Feb. 21, 1676.” Neighbor News, 17 Feb. 2012, https://patch.com/massachusetts/medfield/desorgher-uniquely-medfield.

--“King Philip War.” Millis History. http://www.millishistory.org/king-phillip-trees.html.

--King Philip’s War: Burning of Medfield. https://www.arcgis.com/home.