Dr. David Weed led a 50-minute presentation on the Sowams Heritage Area to the members of the Somerset Historical Society at their High Street headquarters on October 24, 2022. Somerset wasn’t incorporated as a town until 1790, but it was part of the original Sowams Purchase of 1653 and shares the history of the Pokanoket Tribe who inhabited the Sowams homeland of the Massasoit Ousamequin. Click here for a 50-minute video of Dr. Weed’s presentation.

(Above, left) Society President John Larsen welcomed the members following the closure of the Museum for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Above, right) Dr. Weed’s presentation noted that while his own home town of Warren is in Sowams, the Town of Somerset is too, as it was once part of Swansea.

(Above, left) A map by Lisa Brooks shows the relationship between the tribes who were in the Somerset Area during the 17th century. (Above, right) Pokanoket elder Roger Desrosiers and his wife Donna live in Somerset and have been active advocates for the two Council Oak Trees in Somerset and nearby Dighton.

(Above, left) Early documents attest to the inclusion of the Showomet Purchase of 1677 that set Somerset aside from the Town of Swansea. (Above, right) The Society maintains a fabulous collection of artifacts mostly found at early settlements nearby, such as Peace Haven along the Taunton River.