Park to Honored Grandfather Capt. Michael Pierce 316 years after his death

Pierce Park and Riverwalk
Central Falls, Rhode Island

Pierce Park and Riverwalk is located on High Street in Central Falls along the Blackstone River. Constructed in 1991 it contains a ball field, trail systems with river overlooks, benches and playground facilities. It is also the site of the Pierce Fight. The Pierce Fight site has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. Located between High Street and the Blackstone River, this is the Rehoboth and Canonchet's Narragansett Indians on March 16, 1676. A marker near Macomber Stadium describes the confrontation, a critical episode in King Philip's War.
Services / Features / Restrictions: Smoke Free, Free Admission, Children's Activities, Attraction, Cultural, Of Interest to Children, National Register, Park, Spectator Sports, Alcohol Prohibited, Smoke Free, Blackstone Valley and Northern Rhode Island, Ball Field, Playground, Hiking Trail, Wildlife Viewing.
Handicap Service: Complete Wheel Chair Access.

Captain Michael Pierce was born in 1615. He married Persis Eames in 1643. Captain Michael Pierce died on 26 March 1676; The battle in which Captain Michael Pierce lost his life is detailed in Drakes Indian Chronicles (pp. 220-222) as follows:

"Sunday the 26th of March, 1676, was sadly remarkable to us for the tidings of a very deplorable disaster brought into Boston about five o'clock that afternoon, by a post from Dedham, viz., that Captain Pierce of Scituate in Plymouth Colony, having intelligence in his garrison at Seaconicke, that a party of the enemy lay near Mr. Blackstorne's, went forth with sixty-three English and twenty of the Cape Indians (who had all along continued faithful, and joyned with them), and upon their march discovered rambling in an obscure woody place, four or five Indians, who, in getting away from us halted as if they had been lame or wounded. But our men had pursued them but a little way into the woods before they found them to be only decoys to draw them into their ambuscade; for on a sudden, they discovered about five hundred Indians, who in very good order, furiously attacked them, being as readily received by ours; so that the fight began to be very fierce and dubious, and our men had made the enemy begin to retreat, but so slowly that it scarce deserved the name, when a fresh company of about four hundred Indians came in; so that the English and their few Indian friends were quite surrounded and beset on every side. Yet they made a brave resistance for about two hours; during which time they did great execution upon their enemy, who they kept at a distance and themselves in order. For Captain Pierce cast his sixty-three English and twenty Indians into a ring, and six fought back to back, and were double - double distance all in one ring, whilst the Indians were as thick as they could stand, thirty deep. Overpowered with whose numbers, the said Captain and fifty-five of his English and ten of their Indian friends were slain upon the place, which in such a cause and upon such disadvantages may certainly be titled "The Bed of Honor." However, they sold their worthy lives at a gallant rate, it being affirmed by those few that not without wonderful difficulty and many wounds made their escape, that the Indians lost as many fighting men in this engagement as were killed in the battle in the swamp near Narragansett, mentioned in our last letter, which were generally computed to be above three hundred."

Today, in Scituate, there is a Captain Michael Pierce Monument and a Captain Pierce Road.

Ancestry Chain: 10 Great grandfather Capt. Micheal J. PIERCE Immigrant b.1615 / Mary PIERCE b.165 / Mary HOLBROOK b.1686 / Rachel DANIELS b.1720 / Abner RAWSON Rev.WarVet b.1764 / Amariah RAWSON b.1787 / Adaline RAWSON b.1811 / Harriett Camilla ENSIGN b.1859 / George Ensign SMITH b.1898 / Myrle / sons / grandchildren.