A hollow at the base of a large granite gneiss outcropping on its west escarpment and a white quartz outcrop on the east on the Mount Hope property of Brown University in Bristol, RI is reputed to be King Philip’s “seat” . Items found on the property confirm that the site was occupied by aboriginal people for thousands of years.
A large gate leads from the Haffenreffer property to the seat about 200 yards away.
The seat is a large quartz outcropping where people leave shells and other items to honor the Po Metacom (King Philip).
Pokanoket Sagamore Po Wauipi Neimpaug (William Guy), the tenth generation descendant of the Massasoit Osamequin, sits on King Philip’s Seat at Mount Hope.
King Philip is reported to have met with various aboriginal councils and audiences at this site throughout the 17th century prior to the King Philip War.
(Above) A well in the “Miery Swamp” on land at Mount Hope Farm sits near a marker where King Philip fell on August 12, 1676 ending the War that began on June 24, 1675 in what is now nearby Warren, RI. (Click on photos to enlarge). Click here for a 4-minute video of a visit to King Philip’s death site.
Click here for a 5-minute video of Ray “Two Hawks” Watson describing the history of the Seat.
Click here for the Wikipedia description of Mount Hope and King Philip’s Seat or “chair”.
Click here for a Boston Globe article about King Philip’s death in the Miery Swamp published when the area was open in 2007.
Click here for the Haffenreffer Museum web site for information about the Collections and Research site in Bristol, RI.
Click here for the Trails & Walks in Rhode Island web site description of how to access the site through Mt. Hope Farm.
Click here to read about the Pokanoket Tribe’s efforts to reclaim the Mount Hope land.
Click here for a history of the King Philip War in and around Warren, RI and Swansea, MA.
Click here for a description of Rudolph Haffenreffer and his collection of artifacts at Mount Hope.
Click on the map below for a Google satellite map of the location.
