Fort Western is a former British colonial outpost at the head of navigation on the Kennebec River at modern Augusta, Maine, United States. It was built in 1754 during the French and Indian War, as a fortified trading post, and to promote settlement in the area. Its main building, the only original element of the fort to survive, was restored in 1920 and now depicts its original use as a trading post.
After 1769, Fort Western fell into decay. In 1775, Benedict Arnold’s expedition to Quebec stopped at Fort Western long enough to repair bateaux. Arnold, Daniel Morgan, Roger Enos, and Aaron Burr stayed as guests in the garrison while their force camped outside. Fort Western was the starting point for the march through the wilderness to Quebec.
Today it is the oldest log fort in the United States, and its main building is a little-altered example of an 18th-century trading post. The fort and store are maintained as a museum and are open to the public during the summer months. It is now a National Historic Landmark and local historic site owned by the city.
In 1898, our chapter placed a bronze tablet on the building. The inscription is:
FORT WESTERN
ERECTED BY THE PLYMOUTH CO. 1754
CAPT. JAMES HOWARD COMMANDANT
TABLE PLACED BY THE KOUSSINOC CHAPTER
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION