A National Historic Landmark, Fort Halifax Blockhouse was erected as part of Fort Halifax. The blockhouse is the oldest extant wooden blockhouse in the country and the only surviving element of the fort structure. It is built of hewed logs with dove-tailed and pegged joints. It is approximately 20' square and two stories high with an overhanging second story and a hipped roof. Located at the confluence of the Kennebec and Sebasticook Rivers, the fort was built by English settlers in 1754 to protect colonial settlements along the Kennebec. The fort was originally square, consisting of a two-story log sentry box, one-story barracks, a "fort house" containing officers quarters, storerooms, and the armory, and two log blockhouses. It served as a garrison for troops from 1754-1766. The fort and surrounding land then passed into private ownership and the structures were allowed to deteriorate. The blockhouse was salvaged by the Fort Halifax Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, who bought the property in 1924. In 1987 a flood completely dismantled the blockhouse. Many of the original log timbers were recovered from the river and the blockhouse was reassembled on its original site. It is currently a state historic site and open year-round.
Year Listed: 1968
National Historic Landmark: 1968
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=785b9355-fce7-4be3-b509-87fbf76b891e
https://www.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/doc/parksearch/details.pl?park_id=53