The Pequot War and the Founding of Fairfield, 1637-1639

This exhibit presented the story of the Pequot War in 1637, which led to Fairfield becoming established as an English settlement in 1639.  The Pequot War was New England’s first major conflict, involving thousands of combatants in dozens of battles in Rhode Island and Connecticut, with the final English victory won in a swamp here in Fairfield in 1637. The exhibition featured unique items including the sword of John Mason, leader of the English forces during the war; an original copy of John Underhill’s Newes from America containing a first-hand account of the war; and a helmet and matchlock gun from the period. A section on current archaeology undertaken by the Mashantucket Pequot Museum’s Battlefields of the Pequot War project explained how we are still gaining new insights into this epic conflict.