06/13/2026
According to an early, short history of Middleborough from 1867, by Rev. Stillman Pratt and Zachariah Eddy, "The first time the soil of Middleborough was ever pressed by the foot of a white man, so far as we know, was in 1616. A vessel was at that time wrecked at the north-east of Cape Cod, and from it a Frenchman escaped, was taken captive and brought to Namasket (sic). Then tall primeval forests waved over the hills, and there must have been a native beauty and freshness about the whole scene. Then the original lords of this hair heritage roamed in conscious dignity through the plains and valleys of Namasket. Would that the French sailor had left us a history of the three eventful years of his captivity, coming hither as he did before the blighting influence of civilization.
Three years later, Namasket was visited, for the first time, by an Englishman. It was a lovely spring morning, the birds caroled from the tree tops, amid expanding leaves and fragrant blossoms."
That Englishman was Captain Thomas Dermer, an English adventurer and early visitor to the realm of Massachusetts, who came to a place called "Nammasquyl" (Nemasket). From here, it is written that a messenger was dispatched overnight to "Poconoket" (Mount Hope). "Two kings with a guard of 50 men" came in response to meet Thomas Dermer, here in Middleborough. These men were Massasoit and his brother. It is written that this was when the French sailor was redeemed -- presumably rescued from slavery by Dermer. Dermer then continued exploring the region, and sailed to Virginia, apparently with the same Frenchman he rescued from captivity in Middleborough, and a 2nd he rescued up near Boston.
The fate of the Frenchman is not known, but Thomas Dermer died in 1620. Together, it seems that they were the first two Europeans to ever set foot in what is today Middleborough.
