Fort Halifax: Winslow's Historic Outpost

by Daniel J. Tortora

Overview

Winslow has grown up around Fort Halifax in its many, many incarnations. Beginning as a French and Indian War garrison and trading post, the fort welcomed historic figures from Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr to Paul Revere and Chief Joseph Orono. Reduced to one small blockhouse in the 1800s, Fort Halifax hosted archaeologists, travelers, artists, politicians and students. The Flood of 1987 swept away the blockhouse, leaving the fort and its supporters to fight an uphill battle for reconstruction. Throughout varied iterations, uses, trials and tribulations, Fort Halifax has remained the symbol of a community. Join historian Daniel J. Tortora in this engaging narrative of Fort Halifax's fight for survival. Meet the famous visitors to the fort, the local residents who have cared for it and the figures who have kept its memory relevant and its future hopeful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626192928
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	04/01/2014
Series:	Landmarks
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Daniel Tortora is an assistant professor of history at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, less than a mile from Winslow. He is a member of the Fort Halifax Park Implementation Committee working to rebuild and improve the fort's museum-style outdoor displays to make the park more of an interactive museum. He is working with the Winslow Historic Preservation Commission to digitize the town library's images of Fort Halifax.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 5

Introduction: Winslow's Historic Outpost 7

1 Indians and Pilgrims: Fort Point before 1754 11

2 General Winslow Builds Fort Halifax, 1754 16

3 Renovating and Manning Fort Halifax, 1755-1770 26

4 A Tory, an Army and a Truck House, 1770-1785 45

5 Relics and Investigations, 1785-1890 55

6 New Owners, New Nostalgia, 1890-1970 69

7 Creating Fort Halifax Park, 1970-1987 86

8 The Flood of 1987 and the Rebuilding Project, 1987-1989 93

9 Winslow's True Treasure: Fort Halifax Park since 1990 111

Conclusion 121

Appendix A Timeline of Events 125

Appendix B Fort Halifax Namesakes 131

Notes 133

Bibliography 149

Index 155

About the Author 159