We are studying American History this year. After finishing up a brief look at the French and Indian War, we cruised on over to Fort No. 4 in Charlestown, NH.
This fortified village is a replica of the original one in this same location on the Connecticut River, an important waterway for trade and travel. It was made up of several families, all sharing in the surrounding land. This village and the walls that surrounded it acted as a springboard for settling the plantation area. It also became an important refuge of protection during that terrible time of war and violence between the French, British, British Colonists and Native Americans. When the threat of attack arose, families would flee to this fort to defend themselves. Fort No. 4 is made up of several lean-to homes and other dwellings, workshops, and arsenals all connected in a rectangle with large upright logs surrounding the village.
We had read several books this past month all mentioning Fort No. 4, or the string of forts along the edge of the british colonies. It was exciting to visit and see the tales and, even better, true history come alive.
In one story we read, The Day the Indians came, a family defended themselves against a relentless attack from a large band of indians. The men made shooting holes in the walls to keep the enemy at bay and melted the incoming bullets to add to their store of ammunition. The children had a *blast* finding the shooting holes in the homes as well as taking their turn at defending the fort.
Fort No. 4 has been undergoing some changes in the past few years. They had closed their doors a while ago. But, some dedicated volunteers have been working hard to bring it back to life. The volunteers we met were friendly and welcoming. One woman spent a great deal of time with us, sharing the world of carding, spinning, weaving and other topics of fashion. The Girlies were especially taken with the lady of this house. The family represented by this home arrived in Charlestown with 7 children (almost the same ages as ours!) and added 3 more in the following years.
In the center of the fort, we enjoyed playing with the games and toys of the 1700's. Graces, Jacob's Ladder and Hoops were our favorites.
After our tour of the grounds, we unpacked our lunch and enjoyed the beauty of the Connecticut River. If you try hard, you can almost block out the sounds of the nearby highway and imagine that you are enjoying the same breathtaking view as the early settlers did right here on the western-most edge of the British colonies.
This year Fort No. 4 opened for a few special events, Columbus Day being the one we attended. Next year they will officially open with a full schedule of school groups and tours. We found our visit to be a great value, an excellent addition to our history studies, and a lovely way to enjoy a glorious fall day in New Hampshire.
