HAVERHILL — The 300th anniversary of the deadliest wartime battle fought in Colonial Haverhill will be remembered tomorrow morning.
History buffs will gather at 10 a.m. at the marker in front of City Hall that designates the spot where the city's second minister and some of his family members were killed in a raid.
The home of the Rev. Benjamin Rolfe was where City Hall, formerly the high school, was located.
At daybreak on Aug. 29, 1703, Rolfe became the second Haverhill resident to be killed by members of a raiding party that had gathered overnight and struck at dawn.
Led by two French officers, the Indian raiding party shot and stabbed men, women and children and burned several houses occupied by the 30 families living in the frontier village.
In tomorrow's program, the Rev. Marcus Crapsey II, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church and a member of the Haverhill Clergy Association, will deliver a prayer to acknowledge the sacrifices made by the settlers and the conditions under which they worked and lived.
David Swartz, a student of Haverhill history and former city councilor, will recite segments from the poem "Pentucket" by John Greenleaf Whittier.
Members of the Historical Commission, historical society and Whittier Birthplace trustees are expected to attend.
The public is invited, along with city government members.
In the event of rain, the program will be moved to the auditorium in the Haverhill Public Library.
