Fort Kent Blockhouse HABS/HAER photography

The Town of Fort Kent, at the northern tip of Maine, kindly asked me to conduct the HABS/HAER photography and research for the historic Blockhouse. This historic fortification, built in 1841, is located where the Fish River drains into the St. John River, which forms the border between the U.S. and Canada. The Blockhouse was built during the disagreements over the U.S.-Canadian border, often referred to as the Aroostook War, when lumbermen from both sides of the river fought with one another, a series of skirmishes that drew the attention of the State of Maine, which in turn brought in the U.S. Army. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in the early 1960s, and in 2017 when a number of landscape improvements were planned in the area around the building, the Maine State Historic Preservation Office required HABS/HAER photography and a historic narrative.