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Contact:    Laurie Nivison, Director of Marketing

 413.775.7127 or lnivison@historic-deerfield.org

Historic Deerfield's Free Winter Lecture Series  Commemorates 1704 Raid on Deerfield
Deerfield, Mass. (January 4, 2016) --- Historic Deerfield will present a free winter lecture series,  "In Harm's Way: Conflict and Captivity before the French and Indian War,"   commemorating the 312th anniversary of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield, on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. in January, February, March and April at the Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial Street, in Old Deerfield.  

On a frigid winter night 312 years ago more than 300 French soldiers, Canadians, and their Native allies launched a daring raid on the English settlement of Deerfield, Massachusetts. One hundred and twelve Deerfield men, women, and children were captured and taken on a 300-mile forced march to Canada. Many of the surviving captives were later redeemed and returned to Deerfield; others chose to remain among their French and Native captors. Historic Deerfield's 2016 Winter Lecture Series, "In Harm's Way: Conflict and Captivity before the French and Indian War," commemorates the 312th anniversary of the 1704 raid by exploring conflicts, alliances and contested territories in the Northeast throughout the later 17th and early 18th centuries.  Four scholars will introduce individual and cultural perspectives as well as larger geopolitical issues in play before the (final) French and Indian War, expanding our understandings of these fascinating and important places and events, their antecedents, and their powerful legacies. 
   
The first lecture, entitled "Rethinking King Philip's War in the Connecticut River Valley: Pushing Beyond Old Assumptions"  will be presented on Sunday, January 24 by 
Peter Thomas, Retired Associate Research Professor of Anthropology, University of Vermont.

The lecture series continues with 
"Raiding and Captive Taking along the New England and New York Borders 1688-1748,"
presented by Kevin Sweeney, Professor of American Studies and History, Amherst College, Amherst, Mass.,  on Sunday, February 28

Lisa Brooks, Associate Professor of English and American Studies, Amherst College, Amherst, Mass., will explore "Colonization and Captivity in Native Space" on Sunday, March 20, and Michael CoeProfessor Emeritus, Yale University, will cap off the lecture series with "The Line of Forts: An Eighteenth Century DEW Line," on Sunday, April 24.
   
Winter Hours and Admission Information
The Flynt Center of Early New England Life will be open Saturdays and Sundays, January 2, 2016 - April 10, 2016, 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  Visitors can enjoy current exhibitions and "The Museum's Attic" gallery.  Seasonal Winter Admission: $7 Adults, $5 Youth (ages 6-17), under 6, Deerfield residents, and members free. Historic Deerfield's museum houses are closed to the public during the winter months (January-mid-April), however pre-arranged tours-by-appointment, school tours and group tours can still be scheduled. For more information, call (413) 775-7214 or e-mail tours@historic-deerfield.org. The museum will reopen for the 2016 Season on Saturday, April 16, 2016. 
 
About Historic Deerfield, Inc.
Historic Deerfield, Inc., is dedicated to the heritage and preservation of Deerfield, Massachusetts, and the Connecticut River Valley. Its museums and programs provide today's audiences with experiences that create an understanding and appreciation of New England's historic villages and countryside.
 
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