This thesis attempts to situate the struggle over history and memory of King Philip’s War in the town of Bristol, Rhode Island.  The town’s land contains the tract of land that Metacom last called home, and the site at which he was killed.  The issues of memory formation that Lepore discusses and Schultz and Tougias map across New England are of critical importance for Bristol, because the town’s very existence would not have been possible if not for the victory of the English colonists.  By looking at the documents which formed the legacy of this war as it existed in Bristol, the battle over historical meaning can be seen on a small scale.  To understand the legacy of King Philip in Bristol is to understand how those living in his shadow remembered him; a complex and controversial figure since his death in 1676.