Forget Plymouth Rock – It All Started Right Here: The Real American Origin Story
Class | Registration opens 5/11/2026 9:00 AM
The first session will take place at The Shriner’s Center in Cranston, but all subsequent sessions will be held at outdoor and indoor locations throughout East Bay, RI and nearby Massachusetts. Some walking on uneven terrain will be required in two of the eight sessions. There is no class on July 3. This is a repeat of a popular course.
Registrants will be asked to sign a waiver to participate in this course. Look for the waiver link in your registration confirmation email.
Would you like to know The American origin story from the perspective of the Massasoit Ousamequin and the Indigenous People who welcomed the Pilgrims in early 1621? They were the leaders of the Pokanoket Nation, an alliance of sixty tribes in Sowams or “the Land of the Clearing” from today’s Providence to Bristol, RI. By identifying and visiting Indigenous and colonial sites in Sowams, the Tribes ancestral homeland, we will study the events leading up to and following King Philip’s War (1675-76) and the devastating transition of power from an ancient indigenous nation to an English colonial confederation.
Format: Class members will have the opportunity to give presentations and lead discussions each week on topics that they will select from a list prepared by the coordinator. The first half of each session will include a tour, and the second half will provide a member presentation.
Resources/Expenses: Required text: Nathaniel Philbrick’s Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War (available at Amazon, for $15.76 or in paper, used from $2.19 and up, or free through the Ocean State Libraries).
Coordinator: Dr. David Weed serves as the Coordinator of the Sowams Heritage Area Project. He has identified over fifty locations that reveal the history of the Pokanoket Tribe and 17th century colonial settlement and authors an extensive website at
www.SowamsHeritageArea.org.