Your Weekly Guide to Life in Midcoast Maine

JEWELS OF MAINE:

Fort William Henry

PEMAQUID — The Massachusetts Bay Colony built the original Fort William Henry in 1692 to protect England’s northern interest against the French and Natives. The fort is said to be New England’s first stone fortification, but it was poorly constructed and was leveled four years later. In the 1720s Fort Frederick was built on the foundation of Fort William Henry but the area was abandoned and not rediscovered for another 150 years.

The State of Maine received the fort site in 1902, and in 1908 reconstructed Fort William Henry’s great western tower. Archaeologist Warren King Moorehead exposed the fort and village in 1923, while on a futile search of the peninsula for traces of Viking settlement.

The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands acquired the property in 1969 and archaeological excavations and research continued in the mid-1970s. This work uncovered the officers’ quarters and other features of Fort William Henry and Fort Frederick. To date, archaeologists have unearthed more than 75,000 artifacts and a great deal of information about life in a small community that existed on the northern New England frontier for more than a century.

Information from Bureau of Parks and Lands.

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JEWELS OF MAINE: Fort William Henry PEMAQUID — The Massachusetts Bay Colony built the original Fort William Henry in 1692 to protect England’s northern interest against the French and Natives. The fort is said to be New England’s first stone fortification, but it was poorly constructed and was leveled four years later. In the 1720s Fort Frederick was built on the foundation of Fort William Henry but the area was abandoned and not rediscovered for another 150 years. The State of Maine received the fort site in 1902, and in 1908 reconstructed Fort William Henry’s great western tower. Archaeologist Warren King Moorehead exposed the fort and village in 1923, while on a futile search of the peninsula for traces of Viking settlement. The Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands acquired the property in 1969 and archaeological excavations and research continued in the mid-1970s. This work uncovered the officers’ quarters and other features of Fort William Henry and Fort Frederick. To date, archaeologists have unearthed more than 75,000 artifacts and a great deal of information about life in a small community that existed on the northern New England frontier for more than a century. Information from Bureau of Parks and Lands. MONHEGAN ISLAND: The Island •What to know before you go • Fort William Henry • Hiking•
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