Friends of Fort Knox to Conduct Archaeological Field School

School will be in session this August at Fort Knox for those willing to get their hands dirty. The Friends of Fort Knox announced that they will be sponsoring a first ever archaeological field school at the State Historic Site. The field school will be conducted in two, one week sessions, Monday through Friday, August 11 to 15 and the 18th through the 22nd. The purpose of the archaeological field school is to study the area of a known foundation that likely served as a support structure during the construction of Fort Knox, from 1844 until 1869.

There has been little archeological work done on the Fort Knox State Historic Site and the Friends of Fort Knox believe that there exists an undiscovered Fort Knox, which lies just below the surface of the ground. The Friends are excited about the potential discovery of archaeological artifacts that would open up new possibilities for public interpretation and education. It is hoped that this archaeology project will bring a greater understanding of how the Fort was built and functioned.

According to various 19th Century Fort Knox reports there existed a number of buildings used in support of construction and for temporary housing. In addition to the reports, old photographs and paintings of the Fort reveal out buildings used as barracks, blacksmith shop, stone shed and other structures used during the construction period of 1844 to 1869. A preliminary archaeological survey contracted 1999 by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands and the Friends of Fort Knox, confirmed the existence of support buildings and identified a foundation overgrown with vegetation that will be the focus of the field school.

The archaeological field school will be conducted in two consecutive one-week sessions. Students will receive hands-on archaeological experience as well as classroom presentations. The classroom presentations will include an introduction to Maine historical archaeology, introduction to field archaeology, history of 19th Century third-system fortifications and Fort Knox.

Peter Morrison, of Crane & Morrison Archaeology, Freeport, Maine, will serve as the principal investigator for this project. Morrison earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Maine in 1986, and his Master of Arts Degree in History, Historical Archaeology Option, at the same institution in 2002. His Master’s thesis concerned the architecture of buildings at the 1607-1608 Popham Colony in Phippsburg, Maine. He has worked in archaeology for over 20 years. His research interests include New England historical archaeology, historical fortification, early Acadian settlement, vernacular architecture, agricultural history, and historical landscapes. Recent historical and archaeological research has included study of the Bar Harbor Water Company, Bar Harbor, Maine; Fort Knox, Prospect, Maine; Forts Lee and Pickering, Salem, Massachusetts; and in association with the Abbe Museum, the Frenchman’s Bay Historical Sites Survey, Hancock County, Maine.

In order to help cover the costs of the archaeological field school, tuition has been set at $350 per student ($300 for Friends of Fort Knox members), for each one week session and is limited to 15 students per session. Teachers attending the field school would be able to apply for recertification credits for contact hours accumulated through participation in the field school. If interested in attending the archaeological field school please contact the Friends of Fort Knox, at 469-6553 or email FOFK1@aol.com. CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE APPLICATION TO THE FIELD SCHOOL

Fort Knox is a State Historic Site owned by the people of Maine and managed by the Maine Department of Conservation's Bureau of Parks and Lands.

Contact: Leon Seymour

469-6553

Friends of Fort Knox

Annual Report

2007

Overview

The following is an annual report for the Friends of Fort Knox (FFK) reflecting the organization’s activities in 2007. This report will highlight a period of financial revival and significant growth.

The Friends of Fort Knox Board of Directors and staff worked hard to contain expenses, diversify income streams and complete two significant projects at the Fort. The successful financial turn around for FFK would not have been without the outstanding cooperation of our partners, the Bureau of Parks and Lands.

The financial turn around was fueled by the opening of the new Penobscot Narrows Observatory, tremendous growth in gift shop sales and the return of popular special events. Fort Knox operational season visitor attendance rocketed from at total of 39,000 in 2006 to a total of 100,100 in 2007.

The FFK partnership with the Bureau of Parks and Lands expanded in 2007 as the organization was asked to assume additional contract management responsibilities. In addition to operating the fee collection booth and providing interpretive tours, FFK provided staffing for the new Penobscot Narrows Observatory. FFK provided staffing for the observatory at cost.

Information in the report will be contained under general headings listed below.

Restoration/Preservation

The FFK Board of Directors approved and completed two major projects in 2007. In June, FFK Board Chair Michael Celli volunteered to complete an educational display depicting an officer quarters as they would have appeared during the Civil War era. The scene was installed in the Fort Officer’s Quarters and contains a mannequin dressed as a Civil War officer, personal items of the period and bedding.

OQ display

Officer’s Quarters display

The other major project was the restoration of four 24-pound flank howitzer cannon tubes and replication of carriages. These cannon tubes are original to Fort Knox and according to Bureau of Parks and Lands Historic Site Specialist, Tom Desjardin; Fort Knox has more of this type of cannon on display than any other site in the country. Gordon McCrae, of McCrae’s Welding, of Eddington, was the contractor for the cannon restoration and donated several hundred hours of skilled labor to the project.

Restored 24-pound flank howitzer

Flank howitzer cannons were used for short range anti-personnel defense at Fort Knox. The cannons would have guarded the entrances to the Fort, and also be arrayed to repel ground forces trying to storm the Fort through the defensive ditches. Howitzer cannons were loaded with canister ordnance, which would have had a devastating effect on advancing infantry.

Volunteers

Volunteers are a crucial component to Friends of Fort Knox activities. A significant increase in the number of volunteer hours for 2007 is listed below:

Estimated Volunteer Hours

2007

FFK Board and Committees: 576 hours

FFK Gift Shop Volunteers: 630 hours

FFK Tours: 60 hours

FFK sponsored special event volunteers includes Park Day, Easter Egg Hunt, Scottish Tattoo, 20th Maine, SCA, Fright at Fort: 3,115 hours

Total estimated Fort volunteer hours documented by the Friends: 4,431 and 302 volunteers.

Visitor Services

Interpretive Tours- Another bright spot in this year’s annual report are the interpretive tours provided by Friends’ staff and volunteer docents during 2007 (See attached report).

# of school group tours – 36 – 1,415 students

# of general public tours – 321 – 2,077

Total # of tours – 357

Total # of individuals receiving a tour – 3,492

Gate Staffing- Friends of Fort Knox personnel greeted visitors throughout the operating season, providing guidance and collecting admission fees. Gate personnel provided services seven days a week, 8 hours a day for the operating season.

Observatory Staffing- Beginning May 21, 2007, FFK provided two staff people, seven days a week, at 8.25 hours a day, to operate the observatory. FFK staff was trained by BPL personnel in CPR, first aid, emergency evacuation procedures and in the use of a defibrillator. Staff performed exceptionally during several emergency evacuations of the observatory due to elevator malfunctions.

Special Events – Friends sponsored special events continued to please visitors with a variety of entertainment and educational demonstrations throughout the season. Notable special events included a Park Day cleanup, Maine Foster Care Family Day, Paranormal/Psychic Faire, Scottish Tattoo, Pirate Day, Medieval Tournament, 20th Maine Company ‘B’ Civil War reenactments, cannon firings, Civil War medical demonstration, Will Cotton’s reenactors, Fright at the Fort and a blacksmith demonstration.

Financial Income

Listed below are the four main income streams for FFK that span the past three years. Significant income growth was seen in the gift shop, special events and gate contract percentage in 2007.

Income 2007 2006 2005

Totals- $309,725 $104,008 $106,608

Promotion and Public Education

The Friends of Fort Knox distributed over 8,000 newsletters to visitors to Fort Knox. The newsletters contained information on the history of the Fort, Friends’ restoration priorities and event schedules. Ongoing radio and television ads encouraging visitors to visit Fort Knox and the new observatory aired throughout the season.

The Friends received a large amount of electronic and print media coverage throughout the year. Media coverage was driven by the opening of the observatory, restoration efforts and special events.

Future Restoration/Preservation Projects

The Friends of Fort Knox Board working in partnership with the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands have developed two priority projects for 2008.

The first priority project is to repoint masonry in the areas of the Fort where masonry deterioration may pose a safety hazard to the public. The potential safety hazard is particularly acute the vaulted brick archways of the Fort cannon casemate areas. Masonry repointing at the Fort is expected to be continued for the next five years and will continue as rapidly as funds allow.

mortar

Deteriorating masonry in Fort casemate

The second priority project is to install parking lot lights in the main Fort parking lot. As part of the Maine Department of Transportation’s Penobscot Narrows Bridge project, the main Fort parking lot was paved and electrical conduit installed for future lighting fixtures. The parking lot lights will enhance visitor safety during FFK night time special events.

In addition to the previously mentioned priority projects, FFK will be undertaking to sponsor an archaeology field school during the summer of 2008. The archaeology project will focus on a known foundation of an out building presumably used during Fort construction, but the purpose of which is unknown.

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