Congratulations to Deerfield on its 350th anniversary and thank you to all the people through the centuries who helped preserve the history and material culture of the town. Deerfield has been my home for many years and I have a deep love and appreciation for its lush riverside land and ancient structures. It truly is a place frozen in time.

I wonder, however, if this anniversary is really something to be celebrated. In establishing Deerfield, the European settlers banished the Indigenous people from the land where they had for years made their home. History has been retold to make it seem as if the native people agreed to their rich, fertile land being stolen. But the truth is, they had no choice. And we know that the victor writes the history.

While I love Deerfield, I am not proud of its beginnings.

Linda Roney

South Deerfield

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