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49-627: The river is about 69 miles (111 km) in length. It originates from East Brimfield Lake and ponds northwest of Sturbridge, Massachusetts , flows generally southeast and south through Connecticut ( Putnam , Danielson , Plainfield , Canterbury and Jewett City ), the river joins Aspinook pond which begins in Canterbury and ends in Jewett City . The river then continues to the Shetucket River northeast of Norwich . That river flows from there into

98-399: A difficult relationship with the provincial assembly, which refused to pay crown officials a regular salary, and objected to other policies Shute was instructed to implement. In 1720, during these ongoing disputes, the assembly reduced the grant it made to the lieutenant governor from £50 to £35. Dummer returned the funds, observing that his out-of-pocket expenses for his office even exceeded

147-615: A gift that may have been made in anticipation of his wedding, his father in November 1712 gave him a substantial tract of land in the Byfield section of Newbury . The property became the couple's country home. Dummer divided his time between the Newbury property and the family home in Boston. Upon the death of Queen Anne in 1714, commissions issued during her reign were set to expire. This resulted in

196-484: A hard line, cutting off trade with the Abenaki, and authorizing a militia expedition against Norridgewock , one of the main Abenaki towns. Relations deteriorated into open warfare in 1722, and Shute declared war on the Abenaki that July. Because of the ongoing disputes with the assembly, Shute abruptly left the province for London on January 1, 1723, leaving Dummer to act as governor and commander-in-chief. Prosecution of

245-505: A political scramble for appointments to the leadership of Massachusetts between Dudley's supporters and proponents of a land bank proposal designed to deal with inflationary issuance of colonial currency. Dummer's brother Jeremiah was in London representing the Dudley faction. Although he was unable to secure Dudley's reappointment, he and Jonathan Belcher were able to bribe the successor chosen by

294-543: A second raid against Norridgewock in February 1723, but the village had been abandoned for the winter. The war on the eastern frontier consisted of similar raiding activities conducted by eastern Abenaki tribes, and counterraids conducted by the provincial militia of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. After Norridgewock was destroyed in a third raid in August 1724 (an action in which the influential French Jesuit priest Sebastian Rale

343-414: A young man to participate in the business. Upon his return to Massachusetts in 1712 he entered provincial politics, gaining a royal commission as lieutenant governor through the efforts of his brother Jeremiah . Dummer served during the turbulent tenure of Governor Samuel Shute , in which Shute quarreled with the assembly over many matters. Shute left the province quite abruptly at the end of 1722, while it

392-475: Is a town in Worcester County , Massachusetts , United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques . The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census , with more than 3,600 households. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Sturbridge, see: Fiskdale and Sturbridge (CDP) . Sturbridge

441-429: Is bordered by Charlton and Southbridge to the east, Union , Connecticut and Woodstock, Connecticut , to the south, Brimfield and Holland to the west, and Brookfield and East Brookfield to the north. Sturbridge lies approximately 29 miles (47 km) east of Springfield , 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Worcester , and 55 miles (89 km) west of Boston . U.S. Route 20 runs through Sturbridge, and

490-602: Is heavily forested with 29 named streams including six major tributaries (the French , Moosup and Five Mile Rivers, and the Wales, Mill and Cady brooks). The watershed also contains 54 lakes and ponds, 31 of which with an area of 10 acres (40,000 m) or more, for a total of about 3,000 acres (12 km; 5 sq mi); the largest is East Brimfield Reservoir in Brimfield and Sturbridge , 420 acres (1.7 km) in area. The watershed

539-625: Is home to fish species including trout , smallmouth bass , largemouth bass , northern pike , and panfish . Elevations range from 1,264 feet (385 m) above sea level on Mount Pisgah in Wales, Massachusetts , to about 25 ft (7.6 m) in Norwich, Connecticut . Three sections of the Quinebaug River have been designated National Recreation Trails by the National Park Service, some of

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588-501: Is now Vermont ) in the conflict. In both of these he was unsuccessful: the Iroquois, despite significant financial inducements, refused to take up arms against tribes seen to be allied with New France , or to engage in a conflict in which they had no stake. The Massachusetts embassy to Grey Lock , the principal leader of the western Abenakis, failed to find him. In August 1723 Grey Lock began raiding Massachusetts frontier communities in

637-615: Is one of three public schools in Sturbridge. It has its own school committee , part of School Union 61. Sturbridge students also attend Tantasqua Regional Junior High School (grades 7–8) and Tantasqua Regional High School , in the Fiskdale section of town. Union 61 and the Tantasqua district share administrators, including the superintendent, and both include Brimfield , Brookfield , Holland , Sturbridge and Wales . The Sturbridge Public Library

686-708: The Connecticut River valley, taking captives and inflicting casualties at Northfield . Dummer appealed to the leaders of the Connecticut Colony , who stationed a company of militia there in December to little effect. He also authorized construction of a fort north of Northfield, on land he had acquired a few years before in Connecticut's auction of the so-called " Equivalent Lands " Massachusetts gave to Connecticut as compensation for border issues. The stockaded fort

735-544: The Thames River and drains into the Long Island Sound . It is dammed in its upper reaches at East Brimfield Dam , Westville Dam , and West Thompson Lake all for flood control, as well as numerous mill dams which powered mills along the river's course. Some of these still provide hydroelectric power today. The Quinebaug River watershed covers 850 square miles (2,200 km), and extends into western Rhode Island . It

784-522: The 1830s. Tantiusques is an open-space reservation and historic site. Wells State Park is a 1,400-acre (570 ha) woodland park and campground located on Route 49 . The park includes 10 miles (16 km) of trails and Walker Pond , which offers a setting for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. Sturbridge is the home of the Sturbridge Worship Center church which impacts wider New England. Burgess Elementary School, serving grades K–6,

833-595: The Governor Dummer Academy, but is now called The Governor's Academy . William Dummer was born in Boston , the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay , to Jeremiah Dummer , the first American born silversmith , and Anna (Atwater) Dummer. His grandfather was Richard Dummer , an early Massachusetts settler and one of the colony's wealthiest men, and he was also related to the magistrate Samuel Sewall . Dummer

882-573: The Massachusetts towns in the Connecticut River be abandoned. Saltonstall sent further reinforcements, but Abenaki raids in the area continued until 1727, when Grey Lock apparently tired of continuing the war without outside support. Embassies sent by Indian commissioners in Albany, New York and by eastern Abenaki leaders failed to make contact with the warrior, and he disappeared from view. One of

931-463: The Penobscots to retain a Roman Catholic priest. He also pressured Wenemouet to bring Grey Lock and other Abenaki leaders to the peace table. These talks led to a preliminary peace with only the Penobscots at the end of July 1725. Wenemouet then took up the peace cause within the wider Wabanaki Confederacy , sending belts of wampum representing peace to the other tribes. After a translation of

980-528: The assembly's attempts to interfere with management of the militia by organizing expeditions when the body was not in session, earning the enmity of opponents when it did meet. The assembly refused to appropriate funds to pay soldier salaries, leading to a rise in desertions. They also retaliated by firing his brother Jeremiah (who was widely seen as a supporter of the Shute-Dudley-Dummer faction) as colonial agent. Shute's complaints to London resulted in

1029-403: The average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.7 males. The median income for a household in the town

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1078-534: The colony's lieutenant governor from 1716 to 1730, including an extended period from 1723 to 1728 when he acted as governor. He is remembered for his role in leading the colony during Dummer's War , which was fought between the British New England Colonies and a loose coalition of Indian tribes in modern-day New Hampshire , Maine , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia . Dummer was born into a wealthy Massachusetts merchant family, traveling to England as

1127-493: The conflict was left to Dummer, and it has since become known as Dummer's War (among other names). Dummer's tenure as acting governor has been described by historian John Ragle as "unspectacular but able". In the first half of 1723 Dummer made concerted efforts to recruit the Iroquois (of what is now upstate New York ) as allies against the Abenaki, and sought to avoid the participation of bands of western Abenaki (based in what

1176-443: The disputes Shute was engaged in with the assembly at the time of his departure concerned the appointment of militia officers, something that was the governor's prerogative. The assembly had demanded the removal of the militia commander of the eastern district (i.e. Maine), Colonel Shadrach Walton . Dummer continued to argue this issue with the assembly, but eventually relented, replacing Walton with Thomas Westbrook . Westbrook led

1225-402: The eastern tribes despite the discrepancies between written and oral versions. Every major treaty meeting for the next fifty years included a restatement of its terms. Dummer sought to be generally conciliatory in his dealings with the provincial legislature, tolerating, for example, the selection of Elisha Cooke (who had led the opposition to Shute) as speaker of the assembly. He finessed

1274-632: The eventual issuance by the Privy Council of an Explanatory Charter for the province, in which the council sided with Shute on all of the major issues. Shute was preparing to return to Massachusetts in 1727 when King George I died. King George II chose to give the Massachusetts governorship to William Burnet instead of renewing Shute's commission, and he renewed Dummer's commission as lieutenant governor. The matter of colonial currency arose again in 1726. Dummer had been instructed to only allow new issues under exceptional circumstances, and £100,000

1323-595: The first water trails to receive this designation. The sections are: Holland Pond to East Brimfield Reservoir (in Holland and Brimfield, Massachusetts), Paper Mill Dam in Dudley to West Thompson Lake, and Simonzi Park in Putnam to Aspinook Pond in Canterbury. The East Coast Greenway runs along the river in some spots. Canoe/kayak launch sites are located at the following locations: Sturbridge, Massachusetts Sturbridge

1372-521: The junction of Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike ) and the eastern terminus of Interstate 84 is located there. The Wilbur Cross Highway ( Connecticut Route 15 ) formerly ended in Sturbridge; locals sometimes call Haynes Street and portions of Mashapaug Road " Old Route 15 ". Haynes Street ends at Main Street ( Massachusetts Route 131 ), which connects Sturbridge Center with Southbridge; on

1421-457: The land bank faction, Elizeus Burges , to give up his commission. The commission for governor was finally issued in June 1716 to Samuel Shute , a land bank opponent, with William Dummer as lieutenant governor. Shute arrived in the colony the following October, at which time both assumed their offices. Dummer's role during Governor Shute's turbulent administration is not well documented. Shute had

1470-600: The mandated currency withdrawal. The assembly threatened to withhold his salary, and ultimately retired £40,000 of currency before Dummer relented. The matter had significantly poisoned the atmosphere when Burnet arrived in July 1728 to take office. Burnet's short administration was primarily consumed by a vitriolic dispute over the assembly's failure to grant him a regular salary. After Burnet died suddenly on September 7, 1729, Dummer resumed acting as governor and commander-in-chief. He remained in office until June 11, 1730, when he

1519-576: The population had reached 9,268. As of the census of 2000, there had been 7,837 people, 3,066 households, and 2,213 families residing in the town. The population density was 209.5 inhabitants per square mile (80.9/km ). There were 3,335 housing units at an average density of 89.1 per square mile (34.4/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14% White , 3.6% Black or African American , 2.7% Native American , 1.14% Asian , 0.09% Pacific Islander , 0.31% from other races , and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of

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1568-407: The population. There were 3,066 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.8% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and

1617-481: The tribes except Grey Lock's band had agreed to it. A final major peace conference held at Casco Bay in July 1727 formally closed hostilities, and included Dummer, New Hampshire's Acting Governor John Wentworth , Nova Scotia 's military commander Paul Mascarene , and many representatives of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The treaty that Dummer negotiated became a staple of diplomacy between Massachusetts and

1666-402: The west side of town, Massachusetts Route 148 connects Fiskdale with Brookfield. On August 18, 1955, gale-force winds and torrential downpour from Hurricane Diane created floodwaters that broke dams in surrounding towns and flooded the village. The northwestern portion of the town, Fiskdale , is a census-designated place with its own post office and ZIP-code assignment. By the 2010 census,

1715-546: The written treaty by a French priest revealed differences between what it stated and what was negotiated, Sauguaaram repudiated the written treaty in January 1726. At a peace conference held in August 1726 the Penobscots attempted to argue against the offending language, but were convinced to sign the treaty anyway. The Penobscots, despite their reservations, promoted this peace within the confederacy, and reported in March 1727 that all of

1764-467: The £50 amount. The assembly also complicated Shute's negotiations with the restive Abenaki , who occupied lands on the province's eastern borders (now in the state of Maine ) and objected to the encroachment of settlers on their lands. Even though there was some desire on the part of the French and the Abenaki for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, the Massachusetts assembly, over Shute's objections, took

1813-461: Was $ 56,519, and the median income for a family was $ 64,455. Males had a median income of $ 50,168 versus $ 31,940 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 25,559. About 4.5% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Old Sturbridge Village , located on U.S. Route 20 , is a living museum that re-creates life in rural New England from 1790s to

1862-432: Was due to be retired. The assembly proposed to circumvent the need for an exception by allocating the issue for the repair of fortifications, something for which Dummer had requested funding. Since the proposed currency issuance greatly exceeded the amount needed for repairs, Dummer vetoed the request and dissolved the assembly. When the assembly met in 1727, Dummer kept the body in session for 165 days, demanding it act on

1911-622: Was elected to the membership of Boston's Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company . He went to England, most likely in the early 1700s, where he joined his extended family's merchant business. He returned to Massachusetts in 1712. While in England he is reported to have married a cousin in the Dummer family, whose death may have prompted his return to Massachusetts. This marriage produced no children. He then married Katherine Dudley, daughter of Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley , on April 26, 1714. In

1960-452: Was established in 1873. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Sturbridge spent 1.51% ($ 332,136) of its budget on its public library, approximately $ 36 per person, per year ($ 47.44 adjusted for inflation to 2022). William Dummer William Dummer (bapt. October 10, 1677 – October 10, 1761) was an American-born politician and colonial administrator who spent the majority of his life in the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Dummer served as

2009-471: Was eventually replaced in 1730 by Jonathan Belcher , who selected William Tailer to be his lieutenant. Dummer then retired, dividing time between his farm in Byfield and his home in Boston . A proponent of education, he bequeathed funds for the establishment of a preparatory school in Massachusetts, and donated his Byfield estate for its use. For many years it was known as either the Dummer Academy or

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2058-609: Was first visited by the English Puritans in 1644 when John Winthrop the Younger visited the area now known as Tantiusques . Winthrop II bought the land from Tantasqua (local area sachem) and mined graphite, lead, and iron. The mine stayed in the Winthrop family as late as 1784 and was in operation until 1910. Sturbridge was first settled by the English in 1729 by settlers from Medfield , and

2107-506: Was in the middle of a war with the Indians of northern New England. The war was brought to a successful conclusion by Dummer. He negotiated a treaty with the Abenaki people which formed the basis for a succession of later treaties. In 1728, Shute was replaced by William Burnet , whose 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 years in office were consumed by a vitriolic fight over his salary. Burnet died in office, and

2156-507: Was interred in Boston's Granary Burying Ground six days later. Dummer made several charitable bequests in his will. He gave £200 to Harvard College, as well as a £50 grant for the purchase of books, and partially endowed two professorial chairs. His single largest gift was the grant of his Newbury property for a preparatory school . First called the Dummer Charity School, it opened on February 27, 1763. In its later history it

2205-461: Was killed), the war died down. Dummer adopted an aggressive stance after the raid, accusing the French of instigating the war and demanding their neutrality. Peace negotiations began in early 1725 in Boston with the Penobscot leaders Wenemouet and Sauguaaram. Dummer led the negotiations, taking a hard line. He refused in principle to halt settlement activities in contested territories, but allowed

2254-488: Was located in what is now Brattleboro, Vermont , and was named Fort Dummer in his honor. It is regarded as the start of permanent European settlement in the modern state of Vermont . Fort Dummer was ineffective at stopping the Indian raids. When Grey Lock's raids continued unabated in 1724, Dummer renewed his appeals to Connecticut Governor Gurdon Saltonstall , noting that Connecticut was equally vulnerable to raiding should

2303-481: Was officially incorporated in 1738. New Medfield and Dummer (after Governor William Dummer ) were considered as town names before the town was named after Stourbridge , England . According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 39.0 square miles (101 km ), of which 37.4 square miles (97 km ) is land and 1.5 square miles (4 km ), or 3.95%, is water. Sturbridge

2352-432: Was replaced by William Tailer , who had been selected by incoming Governor Jonathan Belcher as his lieutenant. After he was replaced as lieutenant governor, Dummer apparently retired into private life as a successful gentleman farmer . He is reported to have served on the provincial council, but there are no further public records of note, and he left no letters or other papers. He died at home on October 10, 1761, and

2401-535: Was the oldest of nine children, only four of whom survived to adulthood. He was baptized at Boston's Old South Church on September 29, 1677 (O.S.) [= October 10, 1677 (N.S.)] . Little is known of Dummer's early years. Given the family's wealth, he probably attended the Boston Latin School , but he did not attend Harvard . His younger brother Jeremiah did go to Harvard, after which he went to Europe, studying at Leiden and Utrecht . In 1702 Dummer

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