Legend of Barkhamsted Light House A Tale from the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut

"Legend of Barkhamsted Light House" by Lewis Sprague Mills is a story that transports readers to the 1800s Litchfield Hills of Connecticut, where the paths of settlers and Native Americans meet. At its heart, it explores the powerful theme of love that ignores cultural boundaries, focusing on Molly Barber, a settler’s daughter, and her forbidden romance with Chaugham, a Narragansett Indian, as they go against her father's desire to marry a white man. When Molly and Chaugham decide to elope, it is their love story that carries them through the struggles of social expectations and family ties as they start a life together in a cabin set deep in the woods. Their story also highlights the building of a family that mixes both of their cultures, showing the strength needed to overcome difficulties, and it also serves as a reminder of the results of holding too tightly to one’s pride. The story ends by showing how their love and struggles have had a lasting effect on their family's later generations, leaving behind a story that continues to resound throughout their homeland in Connecticut.