1675 King Philip's War
N.W. corner of Foster hill Road & George Allen Road
Brookfield, MA 01506

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Description: Between August 1 and November 10, 1675, Indians did not leave a single one of Massachusetts's eight towns on the Connecticut River unscathed. Five of the eight towns sustained major attacks and three of them, Brookfield, Northfield, and Deerfield were burned, destroyed, and abandoned. Brookfield suffered the first rout. The siege lasted three days. These attacks severed an important communication link between eastern Massachusetts and the Connecticut River. The settlers of Brookfield took refuge in the Fortified House (Ayers Tavern) August 2-4 until reinforcements from Marlborough arrived. After the siege ended, the settlers departed with the troops and Brookfield was not resettled by the English for more than a decade. A state marker on Route 9, at the boundary of Brookfield and West Brookfield tells the grim story of Brookfield's early years in these few short lines: Brookfield settled In 1660 By Men From Ipswich On Indian Lands Called Quabaug. Attacked By Indians In 1675. One Garrison House Defended to the Last. Reoccupied Twelve Years Later.

Benjamin Franklin Milestones
East Main Street
Route 9 Just West of School Street
West Brookfield, MA 01585

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Description: The Old Boston Port Road is Quaboag Plantation's link with the past. It originated several hundred years ago as an Indian path. As time passed the path became a trail and the trail became a road over which settlers, militia, horses and wagons, stages coaches, in fact all the traffic of the new world traveled. For many years it was the only northern connection between Boston and New York. In 1639 the first general highway act was passed and the road was established as a permanent thoroughfare. In 1717 improvements were made to the road, the value of which was demonstrated in 1775 by the haste with which the Minute Men responded to the alarm at Lexington. Among the notable mementoes of the Post Road are the Connecticut sandstone milestones, some of which are to be found today. The location of the markers was determined by Benjamin Franklin in 1763 who at that time was Assistant Postmaster General of the United States. He attached an ingenious device to the wheel of his chaise which counted the revolutions of the wheel and thus indicated each mile traveled. The spot was then marked by a stick driven into the ground. A crew of men followed and erected markers, each one inscribed appropriately for its location. At this time the distance from Boston to New York was two hundred fifty four miles. by Howard A. Drake, Quaboag Plantation 300th Anniversary Celebration", program 1960.

Fort Gilbert
North Main Street
Route 67 Just North of School Street
West Brookfield, MA 01585

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Description: 1688 - Settlers prepared to abandon the town for the second time because of reports of Indian murders committed at Northfield. Abandonment was prevented by Major Pynchon who sent soldiers "ordering and requiring their continuance." Fort Gilbert was erected to protect the new settlement. On September 21, 1688, Captain Henry Gilbert, John Hitchcock, James Warner, Thomas Gilbert, Eben Parsons, and Samuel Parsons were sent by Major Pynchon to scout out and to make fortification for the inhabitants of Quaboag (Brookfield). The fortification was built by Thomas Gilbert, a carpenter and brother of Captain Henry Gilbert. The "fortification" became known as Gilbert's Fort. It stood on the old center school-house lot at the intersection of North Main and Maple Streets. From about 1708 and 1711 the people were without a minister as there seems to be no record of any minister receiving grants from the Court. This leads us to believe that Sabbath services were held at Gilbert's Fort until 1713. In 1702, the old fort was repaired and strengthened and later found to be still in serviceable condition during the French and Indian War. The present Elementary School stands on land that was included within the stockade of the Old Fort.

Homestead of Lucy Stone, The
Coy Hill Road, South of Route 9
West Main Street
West Brookfield, MA 01585

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Description: Lucy Stone was born in a farmhouse on Coy Hill Road, West Brookfield, on the 13th of August 1818. She grew up at a time when women were without most legal rights. Women also lacked civil rights, and most personal rights were exercised at the consent of a male "head of family". Inheriting a defiant nature from her grandfather, a leader in Shays' Rebellion, Lucy spent her adult life promoting equal rights and full justice for all. In an age when higher education for women was considered an "unnecessary waste", Lucy worked and saved for seven years to pay her own way through college. She campaigned for woman's rights, often before a hostile and sometimes unruly audience, usually winning at least a grudging admiration for her eloquence and her courage. Lucy died in 1893 at the age of 75. Her last public speech urging woman "to labor unceasingly" for equal rights was given six months before her death. Although the Stone Family farm house has been destroyed by fire, the Quaboag Historical Society has installed a stone marker and a large informational sign at the site. The West Brookfield Historical Commission invites you to visit it and spend a few minutes honoring this courageous 19th century woman. Directions: From West Brookfield library heading west on Route 9 it is 2.8 miles to Coy Hill Road on the left. From Ware library heading east on Route 9 it is 3.5 miles on the right. The home site is 0.3 miles up Coy Hill Road on the right.

Old Indian Cemetery
Cottage Street, North of Route 9
West Brookfield, MA 01585

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Description: This old cemetery keeps a silent vigil to much of West Brookfield's history. The cemetery is the resting place of 16 French and Indian War soldiers and 11 Revolutionary War soldiers. The cemetery is also the resting place of the Jedediah Foster family. Jedediah Foster's stone is the second from the left (below), and on the handsome time-warn stone most of the words can still be deciphered. He died October 17, 1779, at the age of fifty-three. Jedediah Foster was a Colonel in the militia during the Revolutionary War. He was a Judge of Probate, Judge of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, a member of the Legislature several times, and was chosen to help frame the Constitution for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His wife, Dorothy, daughter of Brigadier-General Joseph Dwight, died in 1818 and is buried here. His daughter Abigail has one of the more interesting headstones with intricate carvings.Abigail's stone was the prototype for the new sign at the entrance of the cemetery. In the south corner of the cemetery is the Haymakers Monument erected in honor of the six haymakers, who were massacred by the Indians in 1710. This was the last hostile act of the Indians toward the town. Diederik Leertouwer, Esquire, consul from the Netherlands to the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, is buried here. The date on his gravestone is 1789. He introduced the asparagus plant to this area. This cemetery is located on Cottage Street near the center of the town

Rock House Reservation
West Main Street
Route 9 Just west of Pierce Rd
West Brookfield, MA 01585

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Description: A massive, cave-like rock shelter, exposed after the glacial retreat 10,000 years ago, served as a winter camp for Native Americans. By mid 1800's, it was part of a farm owned by William Adams whose descendant, F. A. Carter, dammed a small stream to create Carter Pond and built the cottage now serving as a trailside museum and nature center. Open year round, daily, sunrise to sunset. Admission is free to all.

The Knox Trail
On south side of Rt. 9, at junction of Main St.
Brookfield, MA 01506

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Description: On September 26, 1926, during the commemoration of the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the American Revolution, New York State Historian Alexander C. Flick reported to the Advisory Board on Battlefields and Historic Sites from "the sub-committee appointed on June 16, 1926, to investigate and report on marking the Trail over which General Henry Knox conducted the artillery train and supplies from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston in the winter of 1775-1776." The state sought a way to interpret, for the general public, one of the most romantic episodes of the Revolutionary War, in which Henry Knox, a twenty-five year old Boston bookseller, organized and led the transport of fifty-nine captured artillery pieces, in the dead of winter, from Fort Ticonderoga to Washington's army outside Boston. Other location in the region are: Palmer - North side of Rt. 20, west of junction of Rt. 181, Warren - On south side of Rt. 67, ¾ mile east of Warren Center & Spencer On north side of Rt. 9, town center

The Stone House Museum
20 Maple St
Belchertown, MA 01007

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Phone: (413) 323-6573

Web: http://www.stonehousemuseum.org

Description: Built in 1827, this Federal-style home contains superb examples of American furniture, china, and decorative assesories made in the 1700's & 1800's.

Ware-Hardwick (Gilbertville) Covered Bridge
Old Gilbertville Road
Bridge Street
Ware, MA 01082

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Phone: 413-967-7136

Description: 1886 Covered Bridge 137' 6" long. The bridge, on the Ware-Hardwick town line, features metal reinforcements and a sharp, three-toned color scheme; portsides stained red and white while the longsides are left a natural color.

Brimfield Town Hall
Main Street
Brimfield, MA 01010

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Description: Built in 1978, designed by architect Eugene Clarance Gardner of Springfield. Built Stick Style, with Clapboard, shingle and mock half-timbering on exterior, with roof, cupola and corner tower.

Historic Church Street
Church Street
Ware, MA 01082

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Description: Listed as a National Register Historic District, Church Street is home to Ware's finest group of 19th century houses. A self-guided walking tour begins on Main Street at Nenameseck Square. Tour brochures available at the Stone Mill Marketplace.

Jacob Thompson House c. 1811
Monson, MA
Monson, MA 01057

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Description: About Jacob Thompson and His Home In Monson. In 1811, Jacob Thompson, a young lawyer in Holland, MA, decided to move his growing family to Monson He purchased a 100-acre parcel of land from Joel Norcross (one of his clients), just north of the Meeting House He immediately started building this Georgian style home Monson was a fast growing community with several mills springing up along the Chicopee Brook Monson Academy had opened its doors to students six years before Business opportunities were brisk Inside the house, the Thompsons spared no expense decorating their high style home The stenciling in the front hall is a restoration of the original decoration The floors are painted, as were the originals when paint was expensive and difficult to obtain The Monson Historical Society recently acquired Federal Period furniture from the descendents of Joel Norcross and from the Grace Makepeace Trust for Historic Preservation