The Battle of Walker Pond
Intersecting and diverging oral histories
Walker Pond, just 13 miles up river from here at the head of the Mači-pikʷátohsək, sits at the nexus of many Wabanaki waterways.
Archimagam, a central Penobscot encampment, was on its shore. There, families had wigwams alongside Sachem Madockawando, and had safe access to portages, fresh water, fishing, trade, and the abundant nearby islands.
It is also the site of the Battle of Walker Pond.
In the later 1600s or early 1700s, a group of Wabanaki encountered an English vessel fishing in their waters. To protect their ancestral river, accounts say that they burned the vessel and killed the crew.
In retaliation, a group of English raiders attacked Archimagam at dawn, reportedly burning all the wigwams and killing everyone including women and children. According to one version, Benjamin Church of Plymouth Colony led the attack.
There are Penobscot oral traditions, however, that the villages received warning of the raid, and many were able to flee to safety to what is now Indian Island, Old Town. No matter the details, the brutality of this story is heavy. Violent raids of this kind were a typical tool of English colonization and control.
One unusual aspect of this story is that despite the importance of this event, no primary source written accounts have been found. Instead, it is recounted through both Wabanaki and settler oral histories, some documented more than two centuries later in newspaper articles and local historical publications. Most people, even local residents, have never heard the story of the battle.
sissayat - many directions carry (Passamquoddy), carry between Bagaduce River and Walker Pond
wənikanək - At the carry, Walker Pond to Punchbowl carry
minnewokun - Many directions route, Bagaduce River (upper section)
This research was compiled as part of the Mači-pikʷátohsək: A Wayfinding Walk which took place in Castine on October 5, 2025. For more information about this walk, click here. For more research related to this area, click on the tags below. To download a hi-res version of the posters below for educational use, please contact where@atlanticblackbox.com.
This event was a collaboration between Castine History Partners (CHP) and the Walks for Historical & Ecological Recovery (WHERE), a series convened by Atlantic Black Box.
Castine History Partners is a collaboration originally established to create virtual history tours for Castine. CHP supports a variety of learning opportunities around the history of Castine. The partners include Castine Community Partners, Castine Historical Society, Castine Touring Company, Maine Coast Heritage Trust, Maine Maritime Academy, Wilson Museum, and Witherle Memorial Library.