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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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This birch bark container was owned by Lt. Colonel John Hawks
(1707-1784), known as the "Hero of Fort Massachusetts." Although
believed to be a powder magazine, it might have instead held dried and
pounded material like corn, tobacco, or herbs. The birch bark sides of
the cylindrical container are stitched together with spruce root and
decorated with a vertical pattern of stripes and scallops seen in
Abenaki designs. Lt. Colonel Hawks was stationed at Fort Massachusetts
near present-day Williamstown, Massachusetts. He defended the fort
during King George's War on Aug. 19, 1746 against an attack by 700
French and their Native allies.

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