Fort Dummer (Brattleboro, Vermont)
Brattleboro · Vermont · Dummer's War
History & Significance
Built in the winter of 1724 in what is now Brattleboro in southeastern Vermont, Fort Dummer emerged from Governor Dummer's order to construct the fort in response to raids by Gray Lock, and it became a major base of operations for scouting and punitive expeditions into Abenaki country. The British colonial fort was constructed during Dummer's War by the militia of the Province of Massachusetts Bay under the command of Lieutenant Timothy Dwight.
It consisted of a 180-square foot wooden stockade with 12 guns manned by 55 men (43 Massachusetts militiamen and 12 Mohawk warriors). On October 11, 1724, seventy Abenakis led by Greylock attacked Fort Dummer and killed 3 or 4 militiamen in the only known military action involving the stockade.
After the war, Fort Dummer was expanded and turned into a trading post, with staff including members of the Scaticook and Caughnawaga tribes. In 1737, the fort was the site of the signing of a peace treaty between the Caughnawaga Indians and the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
In 1740, the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire was settled and the fort and surrounding territory were granted to New Hampshire, and the state finally abandoned Fort Dummer following the Treaty of Paris. The original site of the fort is now lost below the waters of the Connecticut River impoundment of the Vernon Dam.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Vermont's first permanent European settlement (1724) commemorated at riverfront park
- Granite monument marking submerged original fort site
- Hiking trails and camping on the Connecticut River
- Museum exhibits on Dummer's War and colonial history
- Picnic areas and river access for outdoor recreation
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Dummer
- https://vtstateparks.com/fortdummer.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dummer's_War
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=159865