In an event from Vermont's early history, Abnakis captors taking prisoners for ransom from Fort No. 4 camped here with the Johnson family, Miriam Willard, Peter Labaree, and Ebenezer Farnsworth on 30 August 1754 while en route to Montréal. The next day, Mrs. Johnson gave birth to a daughter in a shelter made by the Indians about one-half mile up Knapp Brook. After enduring many hardships, the party continued with their captors to Montréal, where the captives were sold or turned over to the French for ransom. After six years, the Johnson family was reunited in Charlestown by various means, and the other captives had also been freed.