Nooks and Corners of the New England CoastDrake, Samuel Adams
History
Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast
Drake, Samuel Adams
New England -- Description and travel
A portion of the ground covered by old Fort Pentagoët is now occupied by
buildings, a barn standing within the circumvallation, and the dwelling
of Mr. Webb between the shore and the road. A little stream of sweet
water trickles along the south-west face of the work, and then loses
itself among the pebbles of the beach.
Fort Pentagoët, at its rendition by Sir Thomas Temple, in 1670, after
the treaty of Breda, was a rectangular work with four bastions. The
height of the curtains within was eight feet. On entering the fort a
_corps de garde_, twelve paces long and six broad, stood at the left,
with a _logis_, or quarter, on the opposite side of the entrance. On the
left side were also two store-houses, each thirty-six paces long by
twelve in breadth, covered with shingles. Underneath the store-houses
was a cellar of about half their extent, in which a well had been sunk.
Above the entrance was a turret, built of timber, plastered with clay,
and furnished with a bell. At the right hand was a barrack of the same
length and breadth as the store-houses, and built of stone. Sixty paces
from the fort was a cabin of planks, in which the cattle were housed;
and at some distance farther was a garden in good condition, having
fruit-trees. There were mounted on the ramparts six six-pounder and two
four-pounder iron cannon, with two culverins. Six other pieces were
lying, useless and dismounted, on the parapet. Overlooking the sea and
detached from the fort was a platform, with two iron eight-pounders in
position.
The occupant of the nearest house told me an oven constructed of flat
slate-stones was discovered in an angle of the work; also that shot had
been picked up on the beach, and a tomahawk, and stone pipe taken from
the well. The whole ground has been explored with the divining-rod, as
well within as without the fort, for treasure-trove; though little or
nothing rewarded the search, except the discovery of a subterranean
passage opening at the shore.
These examinations were no doubt whetted by an extraordinary piece of
good luck that befell farmer Stephen Grindle, while hauling wood from a
rocky hill-side on the point at the second narrows of Bagaduce River,
about six miles from Castine peninsula. In 1840 this worthy husbandman
saw a shining object lying in the track of his oxen. He stooped and
picked up a silver coin, as bright as if struck within a twelvemonth. On
looking at the date, he found it to be two hundred years old. Farther
search was rewarded by the discovery of several other pieces. A fall of
snow interrupted the farmer's investigations until the next spring,
when, in or near an old trail leading across the point, frequented by
the Indians from immemorial time, some seven hundred coins of the
nominal value of four hundred dollars were unearthed near the surface.
All the pieces were of silver.
[Illustration: PINE-TREE SHILLING.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account