Old Indian House Door on Exhibit

From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information

About this item

Soon after the 1704 raid on Deerfield, Massachusetts, by the French from Canada and their Indigenous allies, Ensign John Sheldon’s home became known as the “Indian House” because Native American soldiers hacked a hole in the front door.  Sheldon built his home in 1699 and it was taken down by the owners in 1848. A campaign to save the house, now believed to be one of America’s first preservation efforts, failed in 1847, when the committee was unable to raise the necessary funds. When the house came down, the door with its hatchet scars and several other architectural features were saved. Until Memorial Hall opened in 1880, and the door could be permanently housed as the museum’s most significant relic, it had its own board of trustees and was, for a time, on view in one of Deerfield’s hotels. One of only two 17th-century doors in existence in this country, it has been on public display since 1868.

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Details

Item typeHousehold Objects
Documentary Photograph
PhotographerAllen, Frances and Mary
Date1880–1886
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts
TopicArchitecture, Buildings
EraColonial settlement, 1620–1762
EventDeerfield Raid. February 29, 1704
MaterialWood; Paper
Process/FormatWoodworking; Photography; Printing
Dimension details6.75 x 3.87″ (approx.)
Catalog #1996.14.2163.15
View this item in our curatorial database →
Allen, Frances and Mary, photographer. Old Indian House Door on Exhibit. Photograph. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1996-14-2163-15/. Accessed on December 7, 2024.

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