THE FORT SITE - a brief history
On this site over 400 years ago the Algonquin Nehantic
Indians occupied a village which they named PASHEBESHAUKE, "the place at the river's mouth."
About 1600 these peaceful river Indians were conquered by the warlike Pequot Indians from the north country.
In 1614 the Dutch explorer Adrian Block became the first white man to enter the river QUONlTOCUTT, or "Long Tidal River." The Dutch were active traders and claimed much of the river area for New Netherlands. By 1632 they had established a small trading post and renamed the area KIEVETS HOOK.
In 1631 the Earl of Warwick, as president of the Council for New England (which granted the legal permission for all English settlement in the new world), signed the "Warwick Patent," an unique deed conveying a vast segment of New England to a group of fifteen Lords and gentlemen. These men were seeking a potential place of refuge in case the Puritan Revolution then raging in England should fail, and the King be restored to the throne.
In 1635 the Warwick Patentees commissioned John Winthrop, Jr. as "First governor of the river Connecticut." Winthrop then hired Lieutenant Lion Gardiner for a period of four years to build a fort and lay out a town. Upon arrival in Boston from England, Winthrop learned that the Dutch were also planning to occupy their trading post permanently. He immediately dispatched a small vessel with 20 armed men under the command of Lieutenant Edward Giibbons and Sergeant Samuel Willard to seize military control of the Point.
Thus was established FORT SAYBROOK, Connecticut's third oldest settlement (after Windsor and Wethersfield), and its first military fortification..
Winthrop and Gardiner spent the winter at Massachusetts Bay assembling men and supplies. Gardiner arrived in March, 1636, to commence building a permanent strong palisado fort for protection of the prospective settlers The settlement was subsequently subjected to constant attacks by the Pequots.
In April 1636 the Gardiners' son David was born. His was the first recorded birth of a white child on the Connecticut frontier. Also in this year George Fenwick, one of the original patentees, visited the fort. He did not return until 1639, at the expiration of Lion Gardiner's contract. Fenwick then took up his position as second governor of the Colony, and moved with his family into the Great Hall of the Fort.
In 1644, Gov. Fenwick, acting as agent for the other fourteen Warwick Patentees, sold the Fort and Saybrook Colony to the Connecticut Colony. The Saybrook seal transferred in this transaction is now the seal of the State of Connecticut. In 1645 Capt. John Mason became commander of the Fort.
In 1647 the original palisado fort with all its buildings burned to the ground. A new fort of much simpler construction was built on adjacent "New Fort Hill". This second fort served as the main line of defense against expected Dutch attacks in the 1650's, and against the Bntish raids during the Revolution and the War of 1812.
During the 1700's and 1800's Saybrook grew, prospered and became an influential municipality of the state. In 1870 the site property was acquired by the Valley Railroad in order to lay track to Saybrook Point. "New Fort Hill" was levelled, and the resultant fill was used to build a railroad causeway to Fenwick. In 1940 the successors to the Railroad conveyed the property to the State of Connecticut with the stipulation that it be used for "monumental purposes only."
FORT SAYBROOK MONUMENT PARK
In 1980 The Fort Saybrook Monument Park Association was formed with the idea of creating a passive historical park on the site. For this purpose the CT General Assembly in the next year transferred the property of approximately 18 acres to the Town of Old Saybrook. From privately raised finds the Association has developed the Park's attractive landscaping and exhibits, and continues to supply monies for maintenance.
Prior to development of the Park, the Association sponsored an archaeological "dig" conducted by Prof. Harold Juli of Connecticut College's Dept. of Anthropology. Although the site had been much mutilated by the railroad construction, some Indian and Colonial artifacts were recovered.
Recently the Town acquired adjacent property which will permit stretching the parks limits to the very tip of Saybrook Point
Donations for extension and maintenance of the park are gratefully accepted. You may make your check out to:
Fort Saybrook Monument Park Association
7 Willard Avenue Extension
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Step into the General William Hart house and
you will step back in time more than two centuries. Here, in 1767, the 21 year old son of the local minister built a home for his bride.
The Hart family were leading citizens of Old Saybrook. This colony was established in 1635, one of the earliest in Connecticut.
It served as a port from which the Harts sent trading vessels to the South and to the West Indies.
THE EXTERIOR
The house is built with chimneys on the two sides, each serving four corner fireplaces. Notice the nine window facade with 12 over 12 panes, the cornices, cornerboards and graduated clapboards. To the rear is the kitchen ell, added from an older structure.
THE INTERIOR
Inside, volunteer guides will show you the most interesting features of the house. From the center hall, you will see a parlor on each side, furnished in the style of 1800. Toward the rear are the library and the gathering room. The fireplace in the library is decorated with tiles imported from England, and illustrating Aesop's fables. The large room was used for formal dining, dances and other entertainment. It is now a place for exhibits and meetings. The kitchen at the rear, with its large cooking fireplace and bake oven, is provided with appropriate utensils.
Original wainscotting follows the ascent of the stairs in the center hall, leading to four bedrooms, each with its corner fireplace and original molding. Two of the bedrooms are furnished with period pieces and another holds an exhibit of Saybrook history.
THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The society is seeking to restore the house as a typical historic residence of well-to-do New Englanders, with proper furnishing and decoration. Each summer the Society offers special exhibits relating to local history. An historical library and an extensive archive of documents and genealogy are available for study.
Our goal is to make the house a museum of the past, a meeting place for the present, and an inspiration for future study of our national heritage.
THE GARDENS
One of the early restoration projects undertaken by the Historical Society was the recreation of the Colonial gardens which adjoin the house at the side and rear. Twelve women volunteers planned and planted the area to duplicate what General Hart might have maintained -- fruit trees, lilacs, a hawthorn, a quince, a black walnut, a dogwood, a tulip and other trees native to the region.
Convenient to the kitchen, appropriately enough, are some 125 medicinal, culinary and fragrant herbs. Beyond them, complete with sun dial, stands an exquisite rose garden. Many of the herbs, flowers and trees are clearly identified to make your viewing informative as well as enjoyable. Lovers of New England wildflowers will find virtually every variety represented, each blooming in its seasons.
THE GIFT SHOP
A gift shop located in an ell at the rear of the house has for sale some handcrafted items, mementoes and books of historical interest.
Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, June 12 - September 13
12:30 - 4 PM. For other hours, telephone (860) 388-2622
Donation: $2, Under 12: FREE
Photo by Tia Smith.