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.