Fort New Casco

Fort New Casco (1698-1716) - An English Colonial Fort established in 1698 near Portland, Cumberland County, Maine. Abandoned and demolished in 1716. Assigned Location ID ME00080. History Established circa 1698 at the request of local Abenakis Indians who wanted a safe place to trade and repair their weapons. An 1701 meeting between local Abenaki-Pigwackets Indians and Massachusetts colonial officials reaffirmed the alliance. A pair of stone cairns were erected as symbols of this friendship. The nearby Two Brothers Islands offshore later received their name from these long-forgotten cairns. Queen Anne’s War broke out in the region in 1702. The French sent Micmac, Mohawk, and French militia to raid the Maine coast and disrupt this new English alliance with the Indians of southern Maine. Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley traveled to New Casco in June 1703 in a vain attempt to keep local Native Americans out of the war. Six weeks later Fort New Casco was besieged by the invading Native American and French forces. The arrival of an armed Massachusetts ship saved the English huddled inside Fort New Casco. Queen Anne's War ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, but in 1716 Massachusetts ordered the fort demolished. The destruction of Fort New Casco signaled Massachusetts’ abandonment of cooperation with local Indians. Abandoned and demolished in 1716. Current Status Archeological remains only. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Located opposite Pine Grove Cemetery on Route 88 in Falmouth, Cumberland County, Maine. Maps & Images Lat: 43.71412 Long: -70.22887 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 87' GPS Locations: 43.71412, -70.22887 See Also: Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 368. Links: North American Forts - Fort New Casco Casco Wikipedia - Fort New Casco Falmouth Historical Society Visited: No