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Fort Halifax (Maine)
Encyclopedia
Fort Halifax was a U.S.
colonial
outpost on the Kennebec River
at modern-day Winslow
, Maine
. It is a National Historic Landmark
.
. Its blockhouse
, which survives, is the oldest blockhouse in the United States. (The oldest blockhouse in North America is Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
). It was part of a garrison
built by the Province of Massachusetts Bay
in 1754-1755 at the outset of the French and Indian War
. On July 25, 1754, Major General John Winslow
arrived with a force of 600 soldiers to establish the fort at the confluence
of the Kennebec River
with the Sebasticook River
. The palisade
d defense was intended to prevent Quebec
and its Native American
allies from using the Kennebec River valley as a route to attack English
settlements.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1968.
On April 1, 1987, a flood
dismantled the blockhouse. Some logs from it were found as far south as forty miles. The fort was reconstructed on the original site, with as much of the original materials as were recovered.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
colonial
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
outpost on the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
at modern-day Winslow
Winslow, Maine
Winslow is a town and census-designated place in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, along the Kennebec River. The population was 7,743 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. It is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
History
Fort Halifax was a fort on the north bank of the Sebasticook RiverSebasticook River
The Sebasticook River is a river in the central part of Maine, in the United States. It flows from Great Moose Lake, about north of Winslow, Maine, to the Kennebec River in Winslow.According to the Sebasticook River Watershed Association:...
. Its blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
, which survives, is the oldest blockhouse in the United States. (The oldest blockhouse in North America is Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)
Fort Edward is a National Historic Site in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada and was built during Father Le Loutre's War. The fort was created to help prevent the Acadian Exodus from the region...
). It was part of a garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
built by 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...
in 1754-1755 at the outset of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The 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...
. On July 25, 1754, Major General John Winslow
John Winslow (British army officer)
Major-General John Winslow , descendant of Pilgrim Edward Winslow, was an officer during the French and Indian War....
arrived with a force of 600 soldiers to establish the fort at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
with the Sebasticook River
Sebasticook River
The Sebasticook River is a river in the central part of Maine, in the United States. It flows from Great Moose Lake, about north of Winslow, Maine, to the Kennebec River in Winslow.According to the Sebasticook River Watershed Association:...
. The palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
d defense was intended to prevent Quebec
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
and its Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
allies from using the Kennebec River valley as a route to attack English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
settlements.
It was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1968.
On April 1, 1987, a flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
dismantled the blockhouse. Some logs from it were found as far south as forty miles. The fort was reconstructed on the original site, with as much of the original materials as were recovered.
External links
- Fort Halifax, U.S. Route 201, Winslow, Kennebec County, ME: 2 photos, 13 drawings, 4 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey