Fort George (Maine)
Encyclopedia
Fort George was a colonial era fort, erected in 1715, that was located in Brunswick
, when Maine
was under jurisdiction of the Province of Massachusetts Bay
.
in Brunswick. The fort was 3 foot (0.9144 m) underground with a 3 foot (0.9144 m) wall base, standing at least 10 feet (3 m) high above ground, laid with lime mortar
. The barracks housed fifteen men. A large two-story dwelling house, appearing above the walls, made living possible. The range of its cannon protected the dwellings within their reach. In perilous times, the inhabitants of Brunswick were hospitably gathered within the refuge. Many times this hospitality was strained to its most generous capacity as the onslaughts of Indian attacks were incessant. The most significant attack was when the fort was under siege during the early days of Dummer's War
(1722).
In 1736, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts
decided to dismantle Fort George, which would ultimately leave the town vulnerable to Indian attacks. An earnest supplication, from the people, was sent to Gov. Jonathan Belcher
of Massachusetts
, begging to have the fort remain. A petition was then signed by twenty Brunswick families and twenty Topsham families, at the Brunswick meeting house on April 25, 1737. All to no avail, the state legislature was deaf to the appeal and proceeded to have the fort dismantled. The order was effective immediately, and the property was to be reverted to the proprietors.
At a meeting of the Penobscot
proprietors held October 8, 1761, a deed was executed to split the land between Jeremiah Moulton and Captain David Dunning. On November 19, 1761, a written order was given to surrender the fort and buildings to either Moulton or Dunning according to the Penobscot Papers.
The ruins of this historical fort were standing until 1802.
Brunswick, Maine
Brunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
, when Maine
Province of Maine
The Province of Maine refers to several English colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec...
was under jurisdiction of the Province of Massachusetts Bay
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
.
History
Fort George was built in 1715 by Captain John GylesJohn Gyles
John Gyles was an interpreter and soldier, most known for his account of his experiences with the Malecite tribes of the Saint John River....
in Brunswick. The fort was 3 foot (0.9144 m) underground with a 3 foot (0.9144 m) wall base, standing at least 10 feet (3 m) high above ground, laid with lime mortar
Lime mortar
Lime mortar is a type of mortar composed of lime and an aggregate such as sand, mixed with water. It is one of the oldest known types of mortar, dating back to the 4th century BC and widely used in Ancient Rome and Greece, when it largely replaced the clay and gypsum mortars common to Ancient...
. The barracks housed fifteen men. A large two-story dwelling house, appearing above the walls, made living possible. The range of its cannon protected the dwellings within their reach. In perilous times, the inhabitants of Brunswick were hospitably gathered within the refuge. Many times this hospitality was strained to its most generous capacity as the onslaughts of Indian attacks were incessant. The most significant attack was when the fort was under siege during the early days of Dummer's War
Dummer's War
Dummer's War , also known as Lovewell's War, Father Rale's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the 4th Indian War or the Wabanaki-New England War of 1722–1725, was a series of battles between British settlers of the three northernmost British colonies of North America of the time and the...
(1722).
In 1736, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
decided to dismantle Fort George, which would ultimately leave the town vulnerable to Indian attacks. An earnest supplication, from the people, was sent to Gov. Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher
Jonathan Belcher was colonial governor of the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and New Jersey.-Early life:Jonathan Belcher was born in Cambridge, Province of Massachusetts Bay, in 1682...
of Massachusetts
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
, begging to have the fort remain. A petition was then signed by twenty Brunswick families and twenty Topsham families, at the Brunswick meeting house on April 25, 1737. All to no avail, the state legislature was deaf to the appeal and proceeded to have the fort dismantled. The order was effective immediately, and the property was to be reverted to the proprietors.
At a meeting of the Penobscot
Penobscot, Maine
Penobscot is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The Bagaduce River runs through the town. The population was 1,344 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
proprietors held October 8, 1761, a deed was executed to split the land between Jeremiah Moulton and Captain David Dunning. On November 19, 1761, a written order was given to surrender the fort and buildings to either Moulton or Dunning according to the Penobscot Papers.
The ruins of this historical fort were standing until 1802.
See also
- Province of MaineProvince of MaineThe Province of Maine refers to several English colonies of that name that existed in the 17th century along the northeast coast of North America, at times roughly encompassing portions of the present-day U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec...
- French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
- Fort St. George (Popham Colony)Fort St. George (Popham Colony)Fort St. George, named for the patron saint of England, was built in 1607 by Popham Colony near Sabino Head, ten miles/15 kilometres south of what is now Bath, Maine, in the town of Phippsburg, Maine, United States...
, possibly named after this fort, built a century before John Gyles' fort - Fort George (Castine, Maine)Fort George (Castine, Maine)Fort George was an earthworks fort built by the British during the American Revolutionary War to provide safety for British ships and loyalists in the area. The roughly 3-acre remains of the fort are located on the Bagaduce Peninsula in the town of Castine, Maine.The British dug a defensive canal...
, there may be a connection between these forts, however, there is not enough conclusive data at this point to determine that they are one and the same, due to location differences
Sources
- The New York genealogical and biographical record, Volume 29, The Lithgow Family, 1898
- Descendants of John Bridge, The Lithgow Family, 1884, by William Frederick Bridge