Fort Menaskoux facts for kids

Fort Menaskoux (also called Newtown Fort) was a British fort built a long time ago in what is now Arrowsic, Maine. It was an important place for the British settlers in the area.

Early Settlements on Arrowsic Island

The first big settlement on Arrowsic Island started in the 1650s. This island is in southern Maine, between the Kennebec River and the Sasanoa River. Two men, Major Thomas Clarke and Captain Thomas Lake, set up a large business and a small community here. They fished, cut down trees for wood, raised cows, and traded with the local Native American people.

On August 14, 1676, during a conflict called King Philip's War, the Clarke and Lake settlement was attacked. The night before, a Native American woman came to the fort asking for shelter. She was let in, and during the night, she quietly opened the gate. Warriors rushed in, and about 30 colonists were killed or captured. Captain Thomas Lake, Sylvanus Davis, and two others quickly got into a canoe. They paddled to Parker's Island (now Georgetown). Everyone but Captain Lake managed to escape their attackers. The village was burned, and the warehouse was looted. Today, the place where the Clarke and Lake settlement once stood is an important archaeological site.

In 1679, Sir Edmund Andros, who was the governor of New York, created a new town called Newtown on the southern part of Arrowsic Island. This was to show that New York claimed the area. The town had a common area, and in 1688, a small, square fort called Fort Newtown was built on a ridge at the southern end of the island. However, King William's War began in May 1689, and by July, Newtown was destroyed and left empty.

Building Fort Menaskoux

In 1713, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed. This agreement brought peace between the Eastern (Abenaki) Native Americans and the English settlers. Newtown was rebuilt in 1714 and then became a town called Georgetown-on-Arrowsic in 1716. It was named after King George I. Over time, the town's borders grew to include other islands and areas nearby.

During this peaceful time, Fort Menaskoux was built. Samuel Penhallow was the commander of the fort. On August 9, 1717, the governor of Massachusetts, Samuel Shute, and Commander Penhallow held a two-day meeting on Arrowsic Island. Delegates from different Native American tribes arrived in many canoes and set up camp on Lee Island, across from the town. They were not happy about so many English forts being built in their lands. Governor Shute told them he would build forts wherever he thought they were needed. During this meeting, the governor's boat, Squirrel, got stuck on a sandbar. This spot has been known as Squirrel Point ever since. All the Native Americans helped him get his boat free.

Another meeting with the Eastern Native Americans was held at the fort on August 11, 1718.

Attacks During Dummer's War

In the summer of 1723, during Dummer's War, Arrowsic was attacked. The Norridgewock tribe and 250 Native American allies from Canada attacked the area. They were encouraged by a French missionary named Sebastien Rale. The attackers burned 37 homes and killed 300 cows. The 40 people living there ran to the fort for safety, and only one child was lost. When the Native Americans could not take the fort, they left and went upriver. The village was attacked again in 1724.

1758 Attack

During the French and Indian War, on June 9, 1758, a group of Native Americans shot Ebenezer Preble and a worker. This happened while they were working on his farm at the northern end of Arrowsic Island. The group then attacked Preble's home, killing his wife and taking their five children. The children were later sold as servants in Canada. This was the last Native American attack along the Kennebec River. The next year, the Fall of Quebec happened, which changed the war. On February 17, 1841, Arrowsic Island officially became the town of Arrowsic, separate from Georgetown.