Our friends the Mayvilles who work in the archives with us told us we should go see the Hannah Duston memorial in Penacook. Sister Mayville is related to Hannah. We went searching on Saturday and found the monument.
In 1697 Hannah Duston was the mother of 9 children when she was taken from her home with her new born baby and the nurse who was there to help her. They were being taken to live with the Indians as their slaves. On the canoe was a 13 year old boy who had been captured the year before. On the way to the canoes one of the warriors took her baby and slammed her against a tree which killed her. While they were camping on an island, about 10 minutes from where we live, Hannah used some herbs she found and it put the Indians to sleep. Once they were sleeping she killed them with the exception a native American woman and a child that were with them. She and the boy then scalped them all, got on the canoe and headed back to Massachusetts traveling only at night. Once back home she turned in the scalps and received 25 pounds which was offered to anyone turning in scalps of Indians.
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| Hatchet on the right |
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| Scalps on the left |
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It is hard to believe that such a beautiful
place had such a violent history |
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