Cobblestones Home : Colonial Trail : Deering Oaks

     Deering Oaks is a nice quiet place where many people go to have picnics or something of the like on a nice day. It is located across from King Middle School near Deering Avenue. However, many people do not know how much history it has behind it. The man who started it all was George Cleeves. He owned much property and planned to pass it on. He had a granddaughter named Ann Mitton, to whom Cleeves passed on one hundred acres of land. She wed Anthony Brackett, who immediately took control of the land, as was tradition then. Brackett then expanded his total land to four hundred acres. He soon became very wealthy. He had livestock and he even had a slave.
   Indian attacks were accumulating in the Casco Bay area. Many fled from Maine, but Brackett did not. One Indian killed one of Brackett’s cows. Brackett hired an Indian named Simon to round up the Indians responsible. He got the supposed criminals, but really Simon betrayed Brackett. They stole all his guns and killed him. More and more tension built between the Indians and the settlers.
   I think Deering Oaks would be a great part of our freedom trail because it is a very important part of our history. It has been through so much with our city, and it deserved to be honored for the beautiful place it is. Not only has Deering been a park since 1881, it has been a historical site as of 1989. But it is also a very relaxing and peaceful place to spend time with your family or even a place to hang out with your friends after school.

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