A century before the birth of the United States, the death of the Pokanoket Massasoit Metacomet (King Philip) occurred right here in Bristol, on Potumtuk (Mt. Hope), in August of 1676.

His violent death symbolizes the end of King Philip’s War, a 14-month conflict that ravaged colonial and Indigenous communities throughout New England.

On Thursday, August 13 at 7 p.m., a commemoration of the 350th anniversary of his death will be presented by Don “Strong Turtle” Brown, the Tribal Historian of the Pokanoket, in the Barn at Mt. Hope Farm.

Sponsored by the Bristol Historical & Preservation Society, Mount Hope Farm and The Sowams Heritage Area, this talk is the culmination of a series of events throughout Sowams, the ancestral homeland of the Pokanoket Tribe, marking the pivotal events of King Philip’s War and the resulting diaspora of the Pokanoket Tribe. Brown will talk about this historical event and how it marks the end of the war in this area, but not the end of the Pokanoket people’s longer history in the Sowams region.

This commemoration is free and open to the public, though registration is required. Participants should register to attend on the Mount Hope Farm’s website at MountHopeFarm.org.