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Survey of
Historic Sites and Buildings

	ARNOLD TRAIL Maine
Location: Between Augusta and the Canadian border; see below.

Benedict Arnold's expedition in the autumn of 1775 failed in its objective of seizing Quebec, but it had an important result in forcing the division of Lord Howe's army to provide reinforcements for Quebec. Thus Howe could not subjugate the Middle States in 1776, and the British suffered a major setback trying to reunite Howe's army in 1777. Arnold left Fort Western (now Augusta) on September 24, 1775, moved up the Kennebec River about 70 miles, portaged to the Dead River, followed up it to Chain of Ponds near the present Canadian border, and arrived at Quebec early in November with 600 of the 1,100 men with whom he had started. The route can be determined along rivers with considerable accuracy. The sites of numerous portages and campgrounds need fuller study, however, which has been undertaken by the Maine Division of State Parks. The results may provide justification for classifying the Arnold Trail as eligible for the Registry of National Historic Landmarks.

	FORT GEORGE Maine
Location: Heights above Castine, Hancock County. Fort George Park

The Fort George Memorial contains well-preserved earthworks of a fort constructed by the British in 1779 and reoccupied by them during the War of 1812. The site of Castine was an object of imperial rivalry for a century and a half, secured by the British under the treaty ending the Seven Years' War in 1763. The British built strong fortifications in 1779 and in the same year turned back an American attack. The earthwork remains, covering about 3 acres, are now in a State memorial.

	FORT HALIFAX Maine
Location: U.S. 201 at Winslow, Kennebec County. Fort Halifax State Historic Site

Fort Halifax was established in 1754 as an outpost against Indian attack on a site selected by Gov. William Shirley. The blockhouse, the only such structure remaining in Maine from the Revolutionary period, stands on the north bank of the Sebasticook River and was on the route of Benedict Arnold's march to Quebec in the autumn of 1775. The site and blockhouse constitute a major feature of the Arnold Trail, which extends from Augusta to the Canadian border at Coburn Gore. (See pp. 35-36, 200.) The blockhouse will be considered at greater length in the architectural study.

NHL Designation: 11/24/68

	FORT WESTERN Maine
Location: Bowman Street near east end of Kennebec Bridge, Augusta. Old Fort Western

Replicas of the original blockhouses and palisades of Fort Western stand on the site of New Plymouth Trading Post (1626), along with the surviving garrison house. Fort Western was established in 1754 for protection against Indians, and consisted of a large garrison house for both officers and men, and two small blockhouses, all surrounded by a timber stockade. The chief historical significance of the post was as the starting point for Benedict Arnold's expedition against Quebec in 1775. (See above.)

NHL Designation: 11/07/73