A Colonial-era forest is depicted on the cover of ‘1742,’ a book by Christopher Slavens about the Nanticoke Indians’ struggle against the English.
Coastal Point • Submitted
Christopher Slavens is a Laurel resident who serves on the board of directors of the Laurel Historical Society and has researched the history of the Nanticoke Indians, upon whose native grounds and ancestral home much of modern-day Laurel rests. Today’s Trap Pond and local Broad Creek figure prominently in the related story of indigenous unrest and planned resistance.
In Slavens’ new book, “1742: The True Story of the Nanticoke Indians’ Plot to Unite the Tribes, Massacre the English, and Take Back the Eastern Shore,” he takes a deep dive into what historian C.A. Weslager called: “the most important single event in Indian history on the Delmarva Peninsula.” It’s the secret and untold story of a planned Indian revolt to re-capture native lands with an ill-fated tribal council to bring Native Americans together to fight the English.
“I am a local history buff, so it all started here with the location of these tribes,” said Slavens. “Quite a bit of the book deals with the Nanticoke reservation, which was in the town of Laurel in those days, and that is where I live. I then spread out to research other areas and other tribes.”
“The tribes used water to organize themselves. Every Indian village I am aware of from the 18th century historical period was located along a river or creek,” said Slavens. “They had Trap Pond here and Indian River up north, where two major arteries supported their way of life.”
“Broad Creek is the main waterway that goes through Laurel and is a tributary of the Nanticoke River,” he said. “Broad Creek actually flows through Trap Pond,…
