Nine Men's Misery

Nine Men's Misery is one of Rhode Island's most famous historical sites and one of New England's darkest colonial-era landmarks. Located on the grounds of the former monastery property in Cumberland, it marks the burial place of nine colonial soldiers killed during King Philip's War in 1676. The stone cairn at the site is widely regarded as the oldest surviving war memorial in the United States.

The History
The grave marks the aftermath of a conflict between New England colonists and a coalition of Native tribes led by the Wampanoag Sachem (elected chief) called Metacom (he was also called "King Philip" by the English). The colonists were led by Captain Michael Pierce. They were pursuing a larger Native force composed of Narragansett, Nipmuc, Nashaway, Podunk and other warriors. Somewhere near present-day Central Falls, Pierce's force was lured into an ambush now known as Pierce's Fight.

The battle became one of the worst colonial defeats of the war. Nearly all of Pierce's men were killed. Captain Pierce himself died in the fighting.

The Survivors
After the battle, ten colonial soldiers were reportedly captured alive. Nine of them were taken to a rocky spot–in what is now Cumberland–and were tortured and killed. One man allegedly escaped. The exact details are almost impossible to confirm as surviving descriptions come primarily from colonial sources written after the event. Modern historians often note that many details of King Philip's War are filtered through the perspectives and biases of the English settlers who recorded them.

The bodies of the nine dead soldiers were later found and buried together. A pile of stones was placed over the grave, creating the foundation of the memorial that we now know as Nine Men's Misery.

The Escapee
One of the most persistent local stories is that the tenth prisoner found a way to escape and ran through the woods to safety. He is often identified in local folklore as Abbott. Some Rhode Island traditions claim that nearby Abbott Run and Abbott Run Valley derive their names from his escape route. There is little evidence for this claim, so historians generally treat it as local tradition rather than established fact.

Nine Men's Misery Plaque

The Site Today
By the early twentieth century, the original stone pile had deteriorated. In 1928, monks who owned the property rebuilt and reinforced the memorial with a cemented stone cairn. Nine Men's Misery now sits in the woods behind the former monastery property off Diamond Hill Road in Cumberland. The location is accessible via hiking trails and remains one of Rhode Island's most visited colonial-era historical sites.

The Haunted Woods
Nine Men's Misery is also one of Rhode Island's best-known haunted locations. Countless tales of screams heard in the woods, apparitions near the cairn and shadowy figures walking the trails continue to add to the legend. A general unease mixed with feelings of being watched are also common at the gravesite.