When the white men moved to the north from the Boston area, back in the mid-1700s, they were aware that other people (Indians) were already living in this area. However, the coastal towns of Massachusetts were getting congested and the decision was made to expand northward.

Some of the earliest settlers were involved in cutting the huge pine trees to be sold to the English to be used as masts for the King’s Royal Navy. Old history books tell of a “mast landing” below Mallison Falls in South Windham on the banks of the Presumpscot. This exact spot doesn’t show on any maps (to date) but is mentioned in Windham history books. Here, the freshly cut “mast pines” would be loaded onto special boats, to continue their journey down the river and onward to Portland.

The settlers continued to arrive and to clear the forests, plant gardens, build cabins and form the town of New Marblehead, eventually to be called Windham. The natives continued trying to keep the interlopers out of the area. In 1744, a bounty of 100 English pounds was offered for every scalp of a male Indian over the age of 12. There was much animosity between the races, many battles and “skirmishes” and some of the settlers were kidnapped or taken prisoner.

Over in Gorham in the spring of 1746, an attack by Indians on families living near the fort in that town caused much alarm here in New Marblehead. Most of the men when out in their fields were carrying their guns.

It was almost exactly a year after the Gorham attack that Windham brothers William and Joseph Knights were captured by Indians. The boys had gone out into the wilderness looking for their father’s cows – it is written that this was near Inkhorn Brook, down off River Road near the Westbrook line. The boys were taken prisoner by Indians and reportedly well treated. William was returned home after about a month but Joseph didn’t want to return with his brother. He stayed until 1751, or so tradition tells.

In August of 1747, a group of about 30 French and Indian men came to the province fort, which was built about where the Parson Smith house is on River Road. The group saw teenagers William Bolton and William Maxfield near the fort. Both of them were armed and Bolton shot at the intruders. He missed, and was taken captive. Maxfield got away and returned to the fort. Bolton was taken to Canada, sold to a French naval officer for a servant and when the French ship was captured by an English man-of-war, taken to Boston where he was a servant to an English naval officer named Wallace. The teenaged Bolton’s freedom was eventually secured and he came back home.

Seth Webb was trying to find an ax he had left in the woods, but in August 1750, he was also kidnapped. Webb remained with the Indians near St. Francis for a couple of years when his freedom was negotiated and he came back to New Marblehead. He would eventually move north to Deer Isle.

In 1756, two Indians, armed with muskets, captured Joe Knight for the second time, as he was on his way to his father’s lumber mill at Little Falls. Tradition tells of his being taken to a place on the Royal River in Yarmouth from where he escaped and made his way back home, warning all along the way of another impending attack.

The French-Indian war (1754-1763) was now in full swing and by the end of it, New Marblehead would become Windham, Massachusetts.