Fort Western - Augusta, ME
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 44° 18.986 W 069° 46.255
19T E 438521 N 4907308
Fort Western on the river bank of the Kennebec River, was built in 1754 on the site of the Plymouth settler trading post, and was used as protection from the Native Americans.
Waymark Code: WMPPZ3
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2015
Views: 3
In Augusta, on the eastern shore of the Kennebec River, is Fort Western.
From the American Guide Series
1. Fort Western (open daily in summer 9-5; adm. 10c and 25c), Bownan St., and the land it occupies are probably as replete with historic associations as any place along the Kennebec River. On the site of the Plymouth trading post, established a few years after the landing of the Pilgrims in America, a fort erected in 1754 as a protection against the Indians. The fort consisted of two blockhouses, a building for storerooms, barracks, officers' quarters, and parade grounds, the whole enclosed by a palisade. The original garrison house has been restored and furnished with Colonial antiques, and reproductions of the original blockhouses and palisades have been built by Will Howard Gannett, a descendant of the fort's first commander. One room, chiefly devoted to collections from the Southwest, is dedicated to W. Herbert Dunton, native Augusta artist and illustrator.
-- Maine: A Guide Downeast, p. 122
The Fort Today
The fort today still exists as a museum. The admission is more, naturally - $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, and $6 for children (2015). There is a guided tour through the fort where a person in era costume leads you through portions of the fort and relates stories not only of the fort but also of the area that became Augusta. Much of the furnishings in the fort were actually used in the fort - much had come from the family descended from the man, James Howard, who commanded and later ran the garrison house as a trading post. They also now have two wooden boats just outside the palisade fence that are reproductions of boats used while the fort and trading post were active.
In the 1980s the grounds to the south, including a portion of the yard of a nearby church were excavated to search for the remains of the original trading post established in 1628 by men from Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. They found remains of the palisade fence and other artifacts. The guide we had spoke about the dig.
Book: Maine
Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 121
Year Originally Published: 1937
|
Visit Instructions:
To log a Visit, please supply an original image of the Waymark.
Recent Visits/Logs:
| There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|
|