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The Four Forts of the Kennebec
During the mid-17th century, four forts, Massachusetts, and the Kennebec Proprietors constructed four forts on the central Kennebec River to secure the area and promote settlement.
Fort Richmond: 1720-1755
Fort Richmond was built in 1720 by the Province of Massachusetts at the urging of the Pejebscot Proprietors. This military outpost's purpose was to promote settlement by providing settlers a haven and fostering good relations with Native Americans through trade. Fort Richmond was the first of four Kennebec River forts erected to demonstrate English claims to Maine's eastern frontier.
Fort Richmond started as a timber garrison that served as a barracks for the provincial militia. The threat of Indian attack prompted the construction of a formal fort in 1723. The upgraded Fort consisted of an enclosure of stacked logs with barracks, storage rooms, a cistern, and a well. The original garrison became a blockhouse at the Fort's northeast corner, with a separate watch box built atop the wall at the Fort's southwest corner.
A palisade fence surrounded all of these structures. The Fort evolved, and by 1740 it contained a two-story barracks, trading post, guard house, and chapel. A single large, stacked log building (similar to the Fort Western garrison) dominated the north end of the Fort by about 1750. After its decommission in 1755, some of its buildings continued to be used as lodgings and a church.
Archaeological investigations began in 2010 in response to plans for a new bridge across the Kennebec River between Richmond and Dresden. The discovery of 18th-century artifacts suggested the Fort's presence, and additional testing succeeded in identifying the palisade and other elements of the Fort. Excavations were conducted from 2010 to 2013 and led by Dr. Leith Smith Historic Archaeologist of the MHPC.
Fort Frankfort/Fort Shirley: 1752-1759
The fortified settlement of Frankfort (Dresden) was built in 1752 and then upgraded by Gershom Flagg & Sons for the Kennebec Proprietors in 1754. It was renamed Fort Shirley and served as the first stop of the supply chain to Fort Halifax (Winslow) until 1759. It never saw action and was rarely garrisoned and then by only militia during its eight years of existence. It was in 1760 that most of the Fort buildings were torn down and used by the Kennebec Proprietors to construct a Court House. The Town of Frankfort was renamed Pownalborough, and with the Pownalborough Court House finished in 1761, it became the shire town of the newly incorporated Lincoln County.
Systematic archaeological investigation of Fort Shirley began in 1975, when Robert Bradley, a docent at Pownalborough Court House (After earning his Doctorate, Dr. Bradley became Assistant Director of the MHPC). This preliminary archaeological survey was to look for the southwest blockhouse but proved inconclusive. In 1984, Dr. Bradley’s work was followed up by Dr. James Leamon, Bates History Professor, during the Upper Kennebec Archaeological Survey sponsored by Old Fort Western and the MHPC. From 1985 until 2001, Dr. Leamon conducted yearly field schools of Fort Shirley with Bates students.
Fort Halifax: 1754-1766
Fort Halifax was built in 1754 at the Kennebec and the Sebasticook Rivers confluence by Gershom Flagg & Sons for the Province of Massachusetts. It served as the frontline of defense during the French & Indian War until decommissioning in 1766. Initially, it started as a star-shaped fort designed by John Winslow; however, when Colonel William Lithgow took command in 1755, he quickly made a case for abandoning the original plan and reconfiguring the building elements already erected to a fort plan closer to Fort Western and Fort Shirley.
Excavations of the site began with Rev. Timothy Otis Paine in the 1850s, who was able to identify some of the structures and palisade lines of the fort. There were further excavations until 1977, when Dr. Robert Bradley of the MHPC conducted a small survey at the fort in preparation for new drainage. Then in 1987, the Great Flood lifted the blockhouse and floated it down the Kennebec River. In 1987 & 1988, Leon Cranmer of the MHPC conducted excavations to ascertain the blockhouse’s original location in preparation for reassembling it. Also, in 1988, a survey was done on the site as part of the Upper Kennebec Archaeological Survey, prompting further excavations in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1994, and 1995, all led by Leon Cranmer from the MHPC. All these excavations have answered the major questions surrounding Fort Halifax: its location, size, and building arrangement.
Fort Western: 1754-1767
Fort Western was built in 1754 by Gershom Flagg & Sons for the Kennebec Proprietors. As its strategic location is at the Head of Tide, it served as the main stop of the supply chain to Fort Halifax. Its purpose was also to encourage the settlement of central Kennebec by securing peace in the region. Its use as a French & Indian War Fort ended in 1767 when the Fort was decommissioned and purchased by Capt. James Howard. The standing garrison has served many uses in its 268 years of existence: Fort; Howard & his descendants home (1767-1852); S & W Howard Store (1767-1807); and a Tenement (1852-1920). Fort Western had a minor role in the American Revolution and was a staging area for Benedict Arnold's March to Quebec. After the renovation in 1920-1921, it opened as a museum in 1922.
Excavations at Fort Western began in 1974 when Bruce Bourque of the Maine State Museum excavated 17 units around the original garrison. In 1979 and 1981, Dr. Bob Bradley excavated a series of trenches around the perimeter of the Fort garrison. However, the major excavation was done in 1983 by Theodore Bradstreet and Emerson Baker. This excavation determined the size and placement of the palisade lines, as well as uncovered the powder magazine. Follow-up archaeological excavations were in 1984 and 1988. Since then, only small archaeological excavations have been done before building projects or palisade replacement.