Historical Society and Library Host a Native American Documentary: “Praying Town”
From Pam Kirka
Puritans, Christian Indians, King Philip’s War, Black slavery, the Abolitionist movement, and more: three centuries of the history of Natick and Southern New England! This documentary by local filmmaker Zadi Zokou will be shown at Holliston Historical Society, 547 Washington Street, on Sunday, November 10 at 2:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Part One of the film, “John Eliot and the Praying Indians,” shares the history of Natick’s founding by Native Americans in the 17th century. John Eliot, a Puritan from England, emigrated to America in 1631. Settling in Roxbury, he preached to the Indians of southern New England. Eliot and his Native American converts formed Natick and 13 other Praying Towns, but King Philip’s War would shatter the future of these communities.
In Part Two, “Black slaves, the Industrial Revolution, and Henry Wilson,” Zokou presents some of the history of the African American community. African slaves were first brought to Massachusetts in 1638, and intermarried with Native Americans, creating another demographic in southern New England. African Americans from Natick fought in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Natick was also home to prominent abolitionists—Harriet Beecher Stow, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, spent time here with her husband’s family; and Henry Wilson, “the Natick Cobbler,” later became Vice President of the United States.
There will be a brief intermission between Parts One and Two.
Co-sponsored by Holliston Historical Society and the Holliston Library
Refreshments following the program.
