Like many siblings Prudence Wright had disagreements with her brother. In this case however the disagreement reached another level. In 1775 Prudence was married, had six living children, was 35 years old and lived in Pepperell, Massachusetts. She was an ardent patriot but her brother was a Tory, a supporter of the English crown.
Prudence discovered that her brother and another Tory, Benjamin Whiting, were going to deliver a message to the British about the secret location of a gunpowder store. With most of the menfolk called up to the militia Prudence called on several women who she knew shared her patriotic leanings. Jewett’s Bridge, the current location of the Pepperell Covered Bridge, was where the women decided to stop the Tory spies. With an assortment of farm implements they waited for the horsemen to cross the bridge. Both men were dragged from their horses and the dispatches were confiscated. They were taken to a nearby tavern and held before being taken to Colonial authorities in the morning. Prudence became a Revolutionary War icon with stories and accounts documenting her escapades.
The Prudence Wright Overlook is a small park and memorial plaza commemorating Prudence’s action at the location where it happened.
The park provides access to the Nashua River,
and has several memorial and information plaques.
The present Pepperell Covered Bridge stands where the actual conflagration took place back in 1775.
