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Massacre Interior of Old Indian House, during Sack of Deerfield, Feb. 29, 1704

(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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The 1704 raid on Deerfield was first captured on film in the Edison Company's movie, "Ononko's Vow," filmed in Deerfield in 1910. In this scene, the "Indians" have forced their way into what is identified as the "Old Indian House." Historically, during the 1704 raid the house of John Sheldon - the "Old Indian House" - was one of the few that withstood the attack from the combined force of Mohawks, Abenakis, Hurons and their French allies. The film told a fictional story of the vow of an Indian chief, Ononko, whose father saved one of the Deerfield settlers during King Philip's War (1675-76) and vowed to protect the family forever. A generation later, Ononko follows through on his father's pledge and rescues a prisoner taken during the 1704 raid.

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