North Adams Historical Society Observing Siege of Fort Massachusetts
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The 270th anniversary of the siege of Fort Massachusetts will be celebrated this year on the ledge that overlooks where the fort had been built.
The event will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 20, at what is called St. Francis Indian Ledge, 799 Massachusetts Ave. Free parking is available at Renee's Diner across the street.
On Aug. 19-20, 1746, 900 French and Indians of the St. François tribe under the command of Gen. Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil besieged Fort Massachusetts, a frontier outpost what was then East Hoosuck. The 45 colonists surrendered the next day.
The fort was burned to the ground and the prisoners marched off to Canada, including Mary Smead and her infant daughter, Captivity, carried all the way. The survivors, less than half, were ransomed in a prisoner exchange and returned to Boston the following year.
North Adams became one of the few area communities to have the flag of France flying over it. The hostilities came during the third of the French and Indian wars, known in the Colonies as King George's War, an offshoot of the War of the Austrian Succession that was settled in 1748. Col. Ephraim Williams was charged with building and defending the fort but was absent when it was attacked.
The celebration on Saturday is being organized by Wendy Champney, a local teacher and historian whose family owns the ledge and who has written a book, "The Forgotten Ledge of Fort Massachusetts." Champney also created a coloring book as a way to educate local children about the historic event; the first 200 children will receive a coloring book.
Historian James Durkee will share insights about the siege as will Ranger Robert Campanile. Mary Smead and Annie McMillin may make an appearance in appropriate Colonial ware. The Richard A. Ruether American Legion Post 152 of Williamstown will provide a gun salute and "Chester," unofficial anthem of the Colonies, will be played by the Drury High School band.
The event will also include the unveiling and dedication of a carved wood statue of a St. François Abenaki Indian.
The North Adams Historical Society also keeps a "Barracks Room" at its museum in Western Gateway Heritage State Park. Located on the third floor, the room has a 9-minute audio by Campanile narrating the details of the siege; three models of the fort made and donated by local artisans along with pictures of the 1933 replica; and excerpts from the diary of Chaplain Rev. John Norton, an eyewitness. The museum is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10-4 and Sunday from 1-4.
The site of Fort Massachusetts is located on the east side of the former Price Chopper parking lot. A chimney from the long-gone replica built in the 1930s still exists with a historical marker. The nearby commemorative stone has a plaque installed by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Champney's book, Norton's complete account and Michael Coe's "The Line of Forts" in the museum gift shop; museum admission is free as part of the commemoration.
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