ge, where a corn mill was erected in
1686. Then a few new families, immigrating from Rehoboth, made
themselves a home in the south part of the town; and near the close of
the century settlers found their way down the winding Ten-Mile River,
and built houses at Mechanics.

For obvious reasons the east precinct, as Attleboro-bred people are wont
to call it, is the newest part of the town; the north and the south
sections were traversed by the one thoroughfare then open as a highway
between the home of the Puritans and the shores of Narragansett Bay, and
for years after these began to number a very respectable colonial
population, the now thickly settled area in the east village bounded by
Peck, Pleasant, Pine, Capron, and Main streets, contained no buildings
except the Balcom Tavern with its contiguous barn, a small
dwelling-house near the present site of the old straw shop, and another
house about forty rods further to the south.

Lying in the very heart of the Narragansett country, this town was
constantly menaced by King Philip and his braves during the period of
the Indian wars, and two of the bloodiest fights occurred within the
limits of Attleboro Gore. The settlers found it necessary to go about
their daily work armed, lest some red man skulking in the borders of the
forest should attack and slay them. John Woodcock, the leading spirit
among them, was a special object of savage hatred, and in the summer of
1676 he and his sons were surprised while at work in a field, and,
before they could retreat within the garrison, one son was killed
outright, and another was severely wounded.

On Sunday morning, March 26, 1676, Captain Pierce, who, with a company
of sixty-three white men and twenty Cape Indians, was advancing upon the
enemy, was surrounded by about nine hundred Indians at a point on the
Blackstone not far from William Blaxton's house. With true Spartan
courage he and his little band resolved to sell their lives at a high
price; so forming a circle back to back, they made a desperate
resistance for two mortal hours, and after they had fallen it was found
that about three hundred of their cruel captors had perished with them.

In the same war another brutal butchery entailed upon another spot in
the Gore just north of Camp Swamp the name of "Nine Men's Misery." There
three triads of white soldiers, finding themselves surrounded by a large
force of savages who had been lying in wait for them, placed their backs