Fort
Frederick at Pemaquid
Following the destruction of Fort
William Henry in 1696, officials in England urged the
Colony of Massachusetts to rebuild a fort at Pemaquid. Since
all the English had abandoned the area, Massachusetts showed
little interest in such a project.
Finally, Colonel David Dunbar, Surveyor of His Majesty’s
Woods in America, took steps to re-establish a settlement
at Pemaquid. Dunbar imported recent Scots-Irish immigrants
from Boston to Pemaquid, rebuilt the fort, and established
a settlement here. However, Dunbar was working without the
support of the Massachusetts government, which challenged
Dunbar’s authority to grant titles to the new settlers.
After
losing a court battle with Massachusetts, Dunbar and the settlers
abandoned Pemaquid. Massachusetts sent a garrison to Fort
Frederick and maintained the fort until 1759. The only one
of Pemaquid’s three forts to see no battle, Fort Frederick
fell into ruin. It was largely destroyed by local residents
in 1775 to avoid its occupation by British troops during the
American Revolution.
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