Hannah Duston Memorial State Historic Site

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 America’s Most Controversial Heroine — Memorial to Hannah Duston — who killed and scalped 10 of her Native captors in 1697 — the most controversial monument in New England

Hannah Duston Memorial State Historic Site in Boscawen commemorates one of the most extraordinary and controversial events in colonial history. In March 1697, during King William’s War, Abenaki warriors raided Haverhill, Massachusetts, capturing Hannah Duston just days after she gave birth. The raiders killed her infant. Duston, along with nurse Mary Neff and boy Samuel Lennardson, killed 10 of their sleeping captors on an island in the Merrimack River, scalped them as proof, and paddled home. Cotton Mather celebrated her; modern historians debate her. The 1874 bronze statue was one of the first monuments to a woman in America.

Visitor Information

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the monument controversial?

Hannah Duston was celebrated for centuries as a frontier heroine who fought for her freedom. Modern perspectives also consider the broader context of colonial-Native conflict — the Abenaki themselves were responding to English attacks on their villages. The monument raises questions about how we remember violent colonial history.

Insider Tips

Controversial heroine: Hannah Duston was captured by Abenaki in 1697 during a raid on Haverhill — she escaped by killing and scalping 10 of her captors. Pro tip: Duston’s monument (1874) was the first publicly-funded statue of a woman in the US. Complex legacy: Her story is celebrated and debated — heroic resistance or frontier violence? The answer reflects the complex, often brutal reality of colonial warfare.

Best Time to Visit

Year-round: Memorial island accessible. Summer: Merrimack River setting. Fall: River valley foliage. Spring: High water adds drama.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Hannah Duston controversial?

Duston’s 1697 escape involved killing 10 people — including 2 children — and bringing their scalps to Boston to collect bounty money. In her era, she was celebrated as a hero of frontier defense. Today, her story raises difficult questions about violence, captivity, and the colonial wars that displaced Native peoples. The memorial forces visitors to grapple with the moral complexity of American frontier history.

Wildlife & Nature

Hannah Duston Memorial State Historic Site — at the confluence of the Merrimack and Contoocook Rivers in Boscawen — memorializes Hannah Duston (1657-1736), a colonial woman who was captured by Abenaki warriors during the 1697 raid on Haverhill, Massachusetts. After her infant was killed, Duston escaped captivity by killing and scalping ten of her captors. The 35-foot granite monument (1874) was the first publicly funded statue of a woman in the US. Bald eagles and osprey fish at the river confluence.

Nearby Attractions

Boscawen — adjacent — is a small New Hampshire town. Concord — 10 miles south — is the state capital. Canterbury Shaker Village — 5 miles south — is one of America’s best-preserved Shaker communities. Franklin — 10 miles north — has the Daniel Webster Birthplace.