Native Americans

 The Woronoak Indians lived in wigwams in the Westfield area, and the plentiful supply of beaver that the Woronoak caught brought settlers interested in trade from Connecticut and Boston. Unfortunately, the Indians left the area after losing King Philip’s war, and the Athenaeum has some arrowheads and tools and fewer documents.

This collection shows the Indian Deeds that concern Westfield, a copy of The Treaty at Big Tree because General Shepard represented Massachusetts there, and some maps that show Indian settlements.

For more information see the Athenaeum’s materials on Guida Farm –a documented archeological dig. Rev. Davis' Historical Sketch of Westfield or Josiah Holland’s History of Western Massachusetts relay the story of Chief Sackett, a Indian grandson early settler John Sackett.

Pocomtuc Indian Fact Sheet is an excellent source for children: http://www.bigorrin.org/pocomtuc_kids.htm

Transcription and description of the Treaty at Big Tree  http://www.oswego.edu/library2/archives/digitized_collections/granger/bigtree.html

Indian Legend of Giant Beaver http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/nalegend.html