Fort Kent Blockhouse
Maine State Archives
When a border dispute erupted between Maine and New Brunswick in the mid-1830s, both sides responded by erecting a series of frontier military posts and fortifications. The only surviving blockhouse in Maine associated with what became known as the “bloodless” Aroostook War (see Aroostook War) is the Fort Kent blockhouse.
Built around 1839 on a rise of land where the Fish and St. John Rivers meet in Fort Kent, the two-story blockhouse is made of hand-hewn, square cedar logs and was one of several buildings, include barracks and officers’ quarters, constructed at the site.
The fort never saw any military action and after the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842 defined the boundary between Maine and Canada, soldiers were withdrawn. After being privately owned, it was sold to the state in 1891 with the intention of preserving it as a historic site, but preservation efforts languished until 1959. Today, the preserved blockhouse, the only remaining structure from the original fortification buildings, is a state historic site, a National Historic Landmark, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is open to the public seasonally.
Author: Stephanie Bouchard