Fort Putney

 (1740-17??) - A Connecticut River colonial fort, first established around 1740 by settlers in Putney, Windham County, Vermont. Also known as Fort Hill (3).

History of
Colonists built Putney's first fort about 1740 in an elevated clearing on the Great Meadows. The Great Meadows was located at a large bend in the Connecticut River just north of present-day Putney.

King George's War (1744-1748)
On 11 Oct 1745, at the beginning of King George's War, settler Nehemiah Howe was captured on the Great Meadow by hostile Abenaki Indians. He was probably the first captive of the Abenaki from the area, he died in a French prison in Quebec on 24 May 1747. All of the area fortifications except for Fort Sartwell were eventually abandoned or destroyed during King George's War and many settlers were killed or captured and taken to French Canada.

French & Indian War (1754-1763)
In 1755, during the French & Indian War, a second fort was built at the Great Meadows. The danger from the French and their hostile Indian allies remained high and the settlers remained close to the fort until about 1760. The British victory in Quebec City on the Plains of Abraham in 1759 signaled the beginning of the end of the war and the settlement of the area resumed.

A sketch of the plan of the 1755 fort indicates that the fort was rectangular with the backs of fifteen dwellings forming the outside walls. Two watchtowers were provided, one at the northeast corner and one at the southwest corner. Two gates provided access, the Great Gate from the south and the Little Gate from the west. The fifteen dwellings belonged to the thirteen individuals/families domiciled within the fort. The residents included John Warner and son, Isaac Chamberlain, Daniel How, Thomas Chamberlain, Aldrich, Captain Gibson, Samuel Hibett, John Averhill, John Perry, Philip Alexander, Harridon Wheeler, and Joshua Warner

Current Status
Stone site marker only. The marker is in the woods on the west side of South River Road at an intersection with an unmarked eastbound road that goes under the railroad tracks. The Great Meadow is not visible from River Road because of the railroad trackbed.

Sources:
 * , page 799

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Putney
 * Putney Municipal Site
 * Putney Historical Society
 * Windham County Historical Society