King Philip's Chair
26 October 2014 -- 299/365
Bristol, Rhode Island
I went on a walking tour of Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, today. In the early 17th century, this area was known as Sowams and was the seat of power for the Wampanoag Indians. The second of 6 major colonial wars - King Philip's War (1675 - 1676) - came to an end in this location when Metacomet (King Philip) was finally killed. Today's photo shows "King Philip's Chair." It was in this spot that Metacomet would hold court during his 10-year reign as The Massasoit of the Wampanoags. The war he instigated, though, had far reaching effects. His tribe was decimated. He was killed and his head was attached to a pike at the entrance of Plimoth for 20 years. His wife and children were subsequently sold into slavery in Bermuda. The Narragansett Indians were effectively eliminated with most surviving members sold into slavery in the Caribbean. Those few that weren't sold were absorbed into neighboring tribes. Neither the Narragansetts nor the Wampanoags would ever regain their pre-war strength and status. The colonies were similarly crippled with over 25 villages - including Providence, Swansea, Warren, and Bristol - burned to the ground. (No buildings survive to this day that pre-date King Philip's War.) Unlike the Indians, however, a constant influx in settlers from England, Scotland, and Ireland allowed the colonies to rebuild. When the next colonial war developed - King William's War - the various Indian tribes in New England and New York aligned themselves with either the British or the French roughly along the lines drawn by King Philip's War. Indeed, this conflict set the stage for colonial and Indian relations right through the American Revolution and well into the 19th century. Bitterness on the part of the Wampanoags and Narragansetts is still present today.
Post processing started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I adjusted color sensitivity sliders, adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment was added in PSE.
Smugmug is having upload issues, so I have no link to a photo on that site as yet.
