Fort Dummer
Encyclopedia
Fort Dummer was a British fort built in 1724 by the colonial militia of the Province of Massachusetts Bay
under the command of Lieutenant
Timothy Dwight
in what is now the Town of Brattleboro
in southeastern Vermont
. The fort was the first permanent European settlement
in Vermont. It consisted of a 180-square foot (17 m²) wooden stockade near 42.8309°N 72.5504°W, with 12 guns manned by 55 men (43 English soldiers and 12 Mohawks
). Near the former site of the fort is a granite
monument one mile (2 km) south of the Brattleboro railway station.
The fort was named after Lieutenant Governor William Dummer
, who was acting governor of Massachusetts at the time of the fort's construction.
Fort Dummer State Park is part of the Vermont State Park system. It comprises 218 acres (878,000 m²) of forest
just outside of Brattleboro. The park overlooks the former site of Fort Dummer which was flooded when the Vernon Dam was built on the Connecticut River
in 1908. The granite monument that commemorates the fort is not within the borders of the park. The monument itself was moved in 1908 to prevent it from being lost after the dam was completed. The original site of the fort can be seen from the northernmost scenic vista on the Sunrise Trail within the park. It is now underwater near the lumber company located on the western bank of the river.
Province of Massachusetts Bay
The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...
under the command of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Timothy Dwight
Timothy Dwight
Timothy Dwight may refer to:*Timothy Dwight College, a residential college at Yale University*Timothy Dwight IV , President of Yale University from 1795–1817*Timothy Dwight V , President of Yale University from 1886–1899...
in what is now the Town of Brattleboro
Brattleboro, Vermont
Brattleboro, originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,046 at the 2010 census...
in southeastern Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. The fort was the first permanent European settlement
European colonization of the Americas
The start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492. The first Europeans to reach the Americas were the Vikings during the 11th century, who established several colonies in Greenland and one short-lived settlement in present day Newfoundland...
in Vermont. It consisted of a 180-square foot (17 m²) wooden stockade near 42.8309°N 72.5504°W, with 12 guns manned by 55 men (43 English soldiers and 12 Mohawks
Mohawk nation
Mohawk are the most easterly tribe of the Iroquois confederation. They call themselves Kanien'gehaga, people of the place of the flint...
). Near the former site of the fort is a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
monument one mile (2 km) south of the Brattleboro railway station.
The fort was named after Lieutenant Governor William Dummer
William Dummer
William Dummer was Acting Governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1723 to 1728.-Family:Dummer was born in Boston and died in Newbury, Massachusetts, the son of Jeremiah Dummer, the first American born silversmith, and Anna Atwater...
, who was acting governor of Massachusetts at the time of the fort's construction.
Fort Dummer State Park is part of the Vermont State Park system. It comprises 218 acres (878,000 m²) of forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
just outside of Brattleboro. The park overlooks the former site of Fort Dummer which was flooded when the Vernon Dam was built on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
in 1908. The granite monument that commemorates the fort is not within the borders of the park. The monument itself was moved in 1908 to prevent it from being lost after the dam was completed. The original site of the fort can be seen from the northernmost scenic vista on the Sunrise Trail within the park. It is now underwater near the lumber company located on the western bank of the river.