Exhibition
Adaptation and Resistance: Indigenous History of the Pejepscot RegionNotes
The European narrative of eighteenth century New England was one of violence toward Euro-American settlers at the hands of Indigenous people. When the story of violence solely at the hands of Indigenous people is repeated over and over, it’s difficult to look beyond it to learn what may have really happened. However, reading accounts of specific instances of violence reveals a truer picture. For example, when describing King Philip’s War in Brunswick, Wheeler and Wheeler’s “History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell” published in 1878, describes Abenaki people as “Yankee-killer[s].” But it also states that while settlers killed eighty Abenaki people in three months, no settlers were killed. This discrepancy is casually mentioned, but undermines the narrative that is present throughout the rest of the book.
This cannonball is a reminder of the violence from European-Americans that marked the eighteenth century. It was found on the Topsham side of the Androscoggin River, directly across from the site of Fort George. It was probably fired across the river while defending the fort.
A four pound iron cannonball, spherical in shape and covered in rust.