Name/Title
Fort O'Brien | Machiasport, MaineDescription
From Fort O'Brien National Register Nomination Form:
The appearance of Fort O'Brien has probably changed little though the years except for natural deterioration, and archeological exploration. The fort is one of earth works facing Machias Bay. A powder magazine is located within the earth works. Archeological explorations were conducted by Mr. Wendell Hadlock of the Farnswroth Museum, Rockland, Maine during the year 1964 and 1965, relating to the powder magazine. The armaments connected with the original Fort O'Brien have been left on the site. There is an 1857 Napoleon cannon which was brought to the site some years ago.
Fort O'Brien's history dates back to the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War which took place near the mouth of the Machias River on June12, 1775, A few weeks after the Battle of Lexington and Concord a Machiasport shipowner, Ichabod Jones was escorted to Machiasport by the British ship "Maragaretta". The British captain was to make sure that Jones returned to Boston with lumber with which barracks were to be built. The Machiasport townspeople reacted to such an unsavory prospect and captured the "Margaretta". The townspeople were led in these revolutionary activities by one Jeremiah O'Brien as well as by other members of the O'Brien family. The following month the Machias area men repulsed a retaliatory raid by a Nova Scotia based British schooner. The British then sent Sir George Collier with the "Ranger" and three other boats to punish the rebels. The Colonists led by the O'Briens had erected a breastworks hoping to repulse the British. The fortifications did not prove to be trong enough however, and Collier routed the local force and burned several buildings before his fleet moved on.
After the Collier raid, Washington ordered a regiment of militia recruited and sent to protect the settlement. In 1781 Fort O'Brien was made part of the National defense. The British, however, did not return until 1814 when they took the fort and burned the barracks. The fort was again fortified in 1863, during the Civil War because of fear of Confederate privateer raids, but was not attacked.