Unsettled Frontier: 17th Century New England

Step back in time at this new living history event.

When Paul Wentworth built his house in 1701, the Piscataqua region was still on the edge of the New England frontier. The previous eight decades had seen frequent bloody conflicts as the English and French vied for control of the region and indigenous people struggled to maintain their traditional ways of life. Join us at our new living history event, Unsettled Frontier, where we will explore the lives of inhabitants of the region during the first century of English settlement.

SATURDAY: September 6 from 10-4
SUNDAY: September 7 from 10-3

In this two-day event, visitors can interact with historical re-enactors in period dress and experience many aspects of life in New England during the first century of colonization. Militia men who defended the settlements will demonstrate their equipment and weapons, including matchlock musket firings.

Visitors will also learn about economic activities in the region, such as lumbering and the fur trade; the architecture, food, clothing, and ceramics of early New Englanders; and Native American perspectives on events such as King Philip’s War, the Cochecho massacre of 1689, and the Salmon Falls raid of 1690.

Sunday at 11:00AM – Witchcraft & Counter-Magic

English settlers also brought their religious beliefs and superstitions with them to the New World, and on Sunday at 11 am, Dr. Tad Baker, historical archaeologist and author of A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience, will present a talk on 17th century New Englanders’ beliefs about witchcraft, magic and counter-magic.