Pengaoet Archaeological District
Historic American Buildings Survey Photocopy of 1910 copy in Public Archives of Canada. Photo: Library of Congress.
The Pentagoet Archaeological District includes Fort Pentagoet, a 17th-century fortified trading post established by French Acadian fur traders. From 1635 to 1654, it served as a trading center with the local Wabanaki tribes and marked French Acadia's western border. The site changed hands several times, coming under English control from 1654 to 1670, then returning to France after the Treaty of Breda.
Located at the tip of the Bagaduce Peninsula, where the Bagaduce River meets Penobscot Bay (modern-day Castine), the district is part of the traditional homeland of the Wabanaki, particularly the Penobscot Nation. Claude de Saint-Étienne de la Tour initially established a trading post here, which was later taken over by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony.
In 1635, Charles de Menou d'Aulnay established the fortified post, attracting colonial traders and Wabanaki who brought moose hides, sealskins, and furs to trade for European goods. The fort was ultimately destroyed in 1674 by Dutch raiders, and the area remained uncolonized for years due to King Phillip’s War. In the 1980s extensive archaeological excavations uncovered the inner compound of the fort and other major features, including a church and barracks. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993.