Stories of Quaboag Plantation as researched by Ruth Lyon
________________________________________________Quaboag 350th
" Foster Hill, the life and the legacy "
By Ruth M. Lyon
WEST BROOKFIELD- In the beginning, it was called Prichard’s Hill, rising 770 defensively advantageous feet above sea level, the crowning glory of the area known as Quaboag.
In 1665, William Prichard left his substantial land and residence in Ipswich for life in an uncivilized wilderness to the West, bringing his large family with him.
For a then-princely sum of four pounds, he purchased 55 acres on the flat plain atop the hill that came to bear his name. From his doorway, he could survey a land of unsurpassed beauty, with forested hills, the fish-filled sparkling river below, lush meadows, and the grassy plain that became West Brookfield’s common. He shared that view with seven other families from Ipswich who arrived that same year. By 1673, when John Pynchon’s town of Quaboag (or Quabaug) became the township of Brookefeild, 17 families lived on Prichard’s hill.
The 1675 Wheeler’s Surprise in Winnimissett and subsequent 3-day siege on Prichard’s hill have been writ large in history’s pages. Though all but two of the eighty-plus settlers survived, their homes were burnt; they trudged their weary way to Marlborough, leaving the settlement abandoned for a decade.
From 1685 until 1710, small settlements led a struggling existence here, with intermittent hostilities and hardships. But Brookfield, the important link between Boston and Springfield, gradually became re-established, boasting farms, mills, iron mines, tanneries, and shoe and hat makers. Substantial homes and barns appeared on our hill; among the new residents in 1749 were Judge Jedediah Foster and his bride. In the small law office attached to his home, he wrote much of the Massachusetts constitution, upon which much of the United States constitution is based. Prichard’s Hill became Foster Hill; Judge Foster’s name and fame brought worldly figures to his country doorstep.
In1740, the Reverend George Whitefield stood at the huge rock nearby, his mighty voice thundering his Methodist message across the hillside.
Brookfield became, in time, the six towns of Quaboag Plantation. Still, our lofty hill, the place of our mutual beginnings, remains a cherished place. It stands a silent testament to the wisdom and fortitude of those who chose to come here, to till and toil, to discover and rediscover its peace, beauty, and history, and to hold that heritage to our hearts for generations to come.
__________________________________________________Quaboag 350th
" Wolcott Corners, the second settlement "
By Ruth M. Lyon
Major John Pynchon wrote to Governor John Leverett on September 8, 1675: “You cannot be enough sensible how these Indians here do rage, and if forces be not out to give check, it is to be feared they will quickly be busy in firing all our towns, and we shall not be like to hold it without a strong garrison.”
Quaboag Plantation, besieged and destroyed in August, was no more. Patrols of a few soldiers passed through, quickly, hungrily, and fearfully.But, as those soldiers passed through, some observed the fertile and beautiful countryside. Clearly, the Indians, then the English, had successfully managed to clear land, sustaining a supply of wild game and an agrarian lifestyle. It was an appealing, though fraught with danger, spot, with commodious acreage to be had for the asking.
By 1685, a second Quaboag Plantation was rising, not on Prichard’s hill, but a short distance below, in a forested spot featuring lakes, rivers, and fertile land. A few families, among them John Woolcott (or Wolcott) and his sons, Joseph and John, who came before him, took possession of properties near the old Bay Path. By 1687, Wolcott’s Corner was a settlement, established to receive the claims of the old Quabaug inhabitants, and others, and to “grant lotts to others and give necessary orders for the more orderly settlement of the said towne.” They did not enjoy the unity of common purpose or roots as had the original Quaboag settlers, but five brave families nonetheless joined in a township that was to persevere throughout the continuing Indian depredations, and into present history.
John Pynchon’s diary in the fall of 1688 lists almost daily entries such as: August 19; I sent 6 men to Quabaug, ye people there being about to remove, ordering and requiring their continuance, only I sent to fetch off such women as desired to come away.”
By September 21, Thomas Gilbert and others were ordered to “scout out and make a fortification there.” This became known as Gilbert’s Fort, near the present location of West Brookfield Elementary School. There Gilbert lived, with a fortified barracks for soldiers and families driven there for safety, surrounded by a stockade.
Confrontations with Indians continued, even as the list of inhabitants grew. Properties changed hands; Stephen Jennings of Hatfield purchased the old Prichard home (on Prichard’s hill) with lot and a frame upon it, with land amounting to 104 acres.
In July of 1693, Joseph Woolcott arrived at the garrison bearing one of his children in his arms, crying “Arm! Arm!” Six persons, including Woolcott’s wife and two children had been killed. Stones now mark the locations of Woolcott’s home and the murders of his wife and children.
Still, Wolcott’s Corner persevered. John Wolcott built a grist mill, then a saw mill; the dam for their operation can still be seen. Eventually, neighbors came once again to live on Prichard’s hill; an inn and a tavern encouraged custom. The important link between Boston and Springfield endured and acquired Benjamin Franklin’s famous Post Road milestones.
The acreage of the original Quaboag Plantation increased, a church was established, and town government as well. Wolcott’s Corner remains a quiet spot with a giant footprint in Quaboag Plantation’s history.
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