Captain Samuel Leighton's Militia Company 1775

 

Captain Samuel Leighton House c. 1765

After the events of April 19, 1775 in Boston, and Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, the call went out from Doctor Joseph Warren for all New England militias to send troops to Boston.  This included York County militia.  For the areas of Kittery that would become Eliot, the main company was formed by Captain Samuel Leighton.  Captain Leighton's enlistment date was May 3, 1775.

Captain Samuel Leighton was born in 1740 to John Leighton and Mary (Hill) Leighton.  He grew up in the 1690 Leighton House on River Road near the Second Meeting House not far from the original William Everett Tavern.

Five of his older siblings all died within a two month period, three years before his birth from "epidemic malignant sore throat", called Diphtheria today.  A disease largely eradicated through childhood immunization.

Captain Samuel Leighton's Commission

Captain Samuel Leighton came from a long line of militia service.  Five days after Lexington and Concord Doctor Joseph Warren of the Committee of Safety authorizes Samuel Leighton as Captain of the militia and to enlist 56 men.  Captain Samuel Leighton was attached to the 30th Regiment of Foot commanded by Colonel James Scammon Esq. of York.  Captain Leighton's militia company was one of two militia companies encompassing the town of Kittery that became part of the 30th Regiment of Foot.  The other company was led by Captain Tobias Fernald.

Plan of the Battle of Bunker Hill 1775

Colonel Scammon's 30th Regiment marched towards Boston in May 1775.  They were meant to be heavily involved in the subsequent Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, but miscommunication, and misunderstanding resulted in the Regiment arriving on the battlefield too late to be of use.  

Print of the battle by Bernard Romans, 1775

The reader can find more about this interesting history here: https://boston1775.blogspot.com/2015/06/backwardness-in-colonel-scammans.html  Colonel Scammon was tried in a court-martial for his actions that day but was subsequently acquitted of all charges.

Captain Leighton's company served with the 30th Regiment of Foot until the end of December 1775 helping with the siege of Boston.

The list of the men in Captain Samuel Leighton's Company follows:

Joshua Fernald Jr., Cpl.    William Fernald, Lt.           Charles Frost, Pvt.
William Frost, 1st Lt.         John Chick, Pvt.                William Cole Sr., Sgt.
James Emery, Pvt.            Joshua Emery, Cpl.          John Ferguson, Pvt.
Stephen Ferguson, Pvt.     John Frost 3rd, Fifer        Simon Frost 3rd, Pvt.
Alexander Goold, Pvt.       John Goold, Pvt.               William Goold, Pvt.
Daniel Green, Pvt.            Ebenezer Hammond, Pvt. Tobias Hanscom, Pvt.
John Johnson, Sgt.           John Jordan, Pvt.              Tobias Leighton, Pvt.
Daniel Lord Jr., Pvt.          Thomas Mahany, Pvt.        Enoch Meloon, Cpl.
Jonathan Nason, Pvt.       Stephen Nason, Cpl.         Samuel Neal, Pvt.
Robert Patch, Pvt.            Josiah Paul, Sgt.                James Remick, Pvt.                
Charles Sargent, Pvt.       Thomas Savage, Sgt.         James Smart, Pvt.                
Lemuel Smith, Cpl.           John Stanley, Pvt.              Moses Witham, Cpl.            
Peletiah Witham, Pvt.       Henry Foss, Drum.             Daniel Adams, Pvt.
John Manley, Pvt.             Charles Caverly, Pvt.         John Witelock, Pvt.
William Nutter, Pvt.           Frederick Paverly, Pvt.       Zebedee Sears, Pvt.
James Davis, Pvt.             Jeremiah Wittum, Pvt.

Provincial Flag flown at Bunker Hill

These were the "Minutemen" of Eliot/Kittery responding to the call for help in the days following the bloodshed of Lexington and Concord.  In 1775 there was what can only be described as a disorganized militia in Kittery headed by Colonel Edward Cutts.  But this Kittery militia under Colonel Cutts was not used in the immediate defense of Boston.  In 1776 the official militia of Kittery would reorganize into six companies of the Second Regiment of York County commanded by Colonel John Frost.

Grave of Samuel Leighton

Captain Samuel Leighton, the first to respond to the crisis would return to Boston in August 1776 serving in Colonel Ebenezer Francis' regiment of Massachusetts Troops.  He served again in 1778 in Fishkill, NY.  Captain Samuel Leighton, eventually promoted to Major in the Second Regiment of York County militia, returned to his home after the Revolution was over.  He died suddenly just short of his 62nd birthday while clearing snow from a heavy snowstorm, February 27, 1802.

See More:

"History of  Col. James Scamman's 30th Regiment of Foot", 1899 by Nathan Goold https://www.loc.gov/item/02010426/

Old Eliot Vol III No. XI, John Willis, 1899: https://books.google.com/books?id=tqNFAQAAMAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q&f=false

"Kittery and Eliot, Maine, Men of the Revolution", Oliver Remick, 1901: https://archive.org/details/recordofservices00remiiala/page/n3/mode/2up

Hammonds & Foggs of Old Road

 

View of Old Road from Fogg pasture 1910

Readers may remember my post about the Hammonds of Old Road  from three years ago.  In the last three years a number of things have changed.  The most exciting was that the York County Register of Deeds has made all of the deeds of York County, Maine available for viewing.  They can be accessed here: https://www.searchiqs.com/meyor/.  I can't thank the York County Registrar, Nancy Hammond, enough for leading this effort.

I was able to continue my research into the lands along the eastern end of Old Road which if you remember started out as Hammond lands as part of the original Bay Lands purchase of 1699.  I mentioned that the 1772 will of Joseph Hammond (b. 1700 d. 1779) divided the Hammond parcel along Old Road in half to his two surviving sons.  This division went along a line from the southwest to the northeast and even divided their father's house in half.  The western half belonged to Thomas Hammond (b. 1737 d. 1803), and the eastern half belonged to Christopher Hammond (b. 1740 d. 1813).  My previous investigation mentioned that Christopher sold off his half and moved north to Berwick in 1790.  In this post I will explore what happened with Christopher's half and how the Fogg family came to own so much of his previous lands along Old Road.

Hammond Lands 1772

Before 1790 the lands along the eastern end of Old Road belonged to the Hammonds.  The map at the left shows the boundaries of Joseph Hammond's property before he divided it in half after he died in 1779.  Notice that the property that is now the William Fogg Library as well as the William Fogg House, and even the homestead of Dr. Willis are all part of these lands.  Notice the small triangle opposite what is today Pine Avenue.  This was a 1.5 acre parcel that Joseph Hammond sold to Daniel Fogg in 1722 (Book 11 Page 86).

Division of lands 1779

I mentioned that Christopher Hammond eventually sells all his land along Old Road and moves north to Berwick in 1790.  But this occurred after he was married to Sarah Kennard in 1761 and had nine daughters and one son with her.  Four of his daughters were already adults by the time the family moved to Berwick.  One of those daughters, Sarah married a Revolutionary War veteran named James Hill in 1787.  

James Hill Revolutionary War Veteran

In 1789 Christopher deeds to James Hill a quarter acre lot on Old Road where James has apparently built a house for his new bride.  This quarter acre lot with a new house on it will eventually become the possession of John Fogg in 1802 (Book 69 Page 168).  The reason for this is James Hill becomes very ill not long into his marriage to Sarah and dies in 1791 leaving Sarah a widow with two young children.  Sarah fairly quickly remarries William Staple of Berwick and moves there with her children to be his wife.

Lands sold to John Fogg 1790

Christopher Hammond deeds 50 acres of the northeastern part of his property to John Fogg in 1790 (Book 52 Page 206).  That parcel is outlined in green in the map to the left.  Notice that it is this deed that provides the lands that will eventually become the location of the William Fogg Library as well as the William Fogg House.

Lands sold to Samuel Dixon 1791

In 1791 Christopher Hammond deeds the rest of his lands that span across Old Road to Samuel Dixon. (Book 110 Page 103). This Dixon parcel is shown outlined in purple on the map to the right.  This deed again mentions the quarter acre lot previously deeded to James Hill. We can be fairly certain that this parcel which was sold to Samuel Dixon included the dwelling house where Christopher Hammond lived and raised his family before moving to Berwick.  I believe this is the house that currently exists at 136 Old Road. 

136 Old Road

Eventually Samuel Dixon succumbs to illness and dies in 1796.  His widow, Margaret Dixon, in order to pay his outstanding debts after probate, is forced to sell the portion of her husband's lands that are on the southern side of Old Road to John Fogg and Joseph Hammond Jr. (Book 63 Page 147).  John Fogg and Joseph Hammond Jr. then agree to an equitable division of this land on the southern side of Old Road. (also Book 63 Page 147).     

Hammond/Fogg from Dixon 1799

Margaret Dixon, the widow of Samuel Dixon, marries a Wood and in 1817 is buried in the family cemetery that existed behind the William Fogg Library in the Pine Avenue development.  Samuel and Margaret Dixon's daughter Sarah called "Sally" and her husband Edmund Fry come into possession of the remainder of her father's property.  Edmund dies leaving Sally Fry a widow and in possession of the property until she dies in 1840.  Other Fry family continue to live in the house and then it is deeded to William Fry, son of Edmund and Sally Fry in 1851 from all the other heirs of Samuel Dixon and Edmund and Sally Fry. (Book 222 Pages 274-276).   

Old Fry Family Cemetery

By the 1850s Horace Parker has become the owner of the homestead which will become known as the Dr. Willis homestead on Old Road and over the next decade he purchases more of the Dixon/Fry land from the heirs of Samuel Dixon to expand the property from its original quarter acre to a much larger property.

1856 map

The map to the left shows the families along Old Road in 1856.  Notice that the Foggs have already given a parcel of land for the District #5 Schoolhouse. This was done about 1803.

Starting in 1889 and continuing into the early 1900's, Dr. Willis, who was a descendant of John Fogg, purchases much of the remaining property around his homestead including the original Joseph Hammond house and the Fry house and inherits the original homestead from Horace Parker.  Most of this land is still in possession of his descendants today.  

Lost Cemeteries

 

Eliot has a lot of old cemeteries.  And Eliot, most likely, has a few old, lost cemeteries.  This is the story of one of those cemeteries that may have been lost to memory for 166 years.  

Book 253 Page 96 Alvin Libbey to Nathan Paul

I was searching old deeds while researching the history of an old Libbey property, and I came across this interesting deed from 1857.  It was from Book 253 Page 96.  Alvin Libbey was selling a 15 acre parcel near the northeastern end of his property to Nathan Paul.  But the most interesting part of this deed is the following: "Reserving to myself the burying ground near the Northwest corner of said lot of land it being three and a half rods long by one rod wide".  

What makes this deed even more interesting is the fact that Nathan Paul sells this 15 acre parcel to Samuel W. Staples three years later in 1860.  However, the deed from Nathan Paul to Samuel W. Staples does not explicitly mention the burying ground.

Book 268 Page 90 Nathan Paul to Samuel W. Staples

The deed does say it is "Subject to all the reservations and granting all the privileges conveyed" in the previous deed, but the explicit description of the Libbey burying ground is no longer there.

Samuel W. Staples owned this parcel of land for over 40 years until he deeded it along with some other parcels to his son Nathaniel D. Staples near the end of his life in 1902.  This deed was in Book 553 Page 266.  

Book 553 Page 266 Samuel W. Staples to Nathaniel D. Staples

Again this deed does not specifically describe the Libbey burying ground but grants all of the prior privileges conveyed in the earlier Alvin Libbey deed.  This deed to Nathaniel D. Staples was signed in 1893 but not recorded until 1906.  

The reason for this late recording is that by then Nathaniel D. Staples had moved to Massachusetts and filed for bankruptcy in 1906.  The property that was deeded to him by his father Samuel W. Staples was sold as part of a bankruptcy settlement to George E. Ireland and recorded in Book 556 Page 261. 

Book 556 Page 261 George E. Ireland acquires in bankruptcy

George E. Ireland then sells the parcels he acquired in this bankruptcy sale to Sylvester Staples in 1909.  This deed is recorded in Book 592 Page 289.  By this time the deed combines the parcels into a 22 acre parcel and makes no mention of the previous deeds and nothing about a burying ground.

Book 592 Page 289 George E. Ireland to Sylvester Staples

It appears that Sylvester Staples passes down this 22 acres of land to his son Victor Staples because in 1951 Victor Staples deeds this land as one of six separate parcels to Roland S. Morse in Book 1326 Page 191.  

Book 1326 Page 191 Victor Staples to Roland S. Morse

And finally Roland S. Morse deeds these parcels to William and Daniel Seaward in 1968 in Book 1799 Page 384 and this begins the time when this part of Eliot on Route 236 becomes an industrial area.  The lands become part of the Seaward Realty Trust in 1976 and in 1996 Seaward trust deeds all of the lands to Casella Tires in Book 7982 Page 165.  This is when the recycling operations began in this area.

1960 plan for Route 236 showing Roland Morse

Original distance between stonewalls

So where is this original 15 acre parcel of land that Alvin Libbey sold to Samuel W. Staples in 1857?  Thanks to a series of plans of the new Route 236 recorded in 1960 we can see all of the landowners who owned land along the new state highway which was previously the railroad right of way.  The frontage shown for Roland Morse is approximately 459'.  This is very close to the distance shown on the Eliot GIS map between two remnants of stone walls which mark the boundaries of the heirs of Matthew Libbey as part of the original land grants associated with the Baylands purchase. 

Original Baylands parcels 1699

Alvin Libbey who sold the 15 acre parcel to Nathan Paul was the son of Thomas Libbey.  Thomas Libbey was the son of Seth Libbey.  They were all descendants of Matthew Libbey who owned the narrow parcel of land that ran from the Piscataqua River all the way to the Marsh Hill area which is now part of Littlebrook Airport. Matthew and his brother David owned two of the five parcels that made up the Baylands.  Together they built and maintained a lane between their two parcels from one end to the other, today known as Libbey Lane.

1850 map showing Seth Libbey house (circled)

Seth Libbey built a house close to the river and, in the late 1700's, moved this house further inland close to where the railroad would eventually come through.  Seth Libbey died here in 1794.  His son Thomas lived here until his death in 1852.

The 15 acres that Alvin Libbey deeds to Samuel W. Staples appears to be all of the property that Alvin inherited from Thomas on the northeastern side of the railroad.

And where is the cemetery mentioned in the original deed of 1857?  The northwest corner could be the corner of the lot that is today closest to the Hissong concrete plant.  We would have to explore that corner of land currently owned by Black Hawk Holdings and see if there are any remnants of stones that could indicate an old burying ground.  From the description it appears to be a long and narrow cemetery (57 feet by 16 feet), and the oldest burial would most likely have been Seth's in 1794.

Alvin's 15 acre parcel today

Resources

York County Registry of Deeds Online: https://searchiqs.com/meyor/login.aspx

Eliot GIS map: https://next.axisgis.com/EliotME/#

William Fogg 1850 map: https://eliothistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/1850-Fogg-Map-scaled.jpg

Libbey Family History: https://archive.org/details/libbyfamilyiname00libb/mode/1up?ref=ol&view=theater

Proposed Roads, Circa 1817

 

Click for larger map

This survey of existing and proposed roads is from about 1817. The proposed roads are in a slightly lighter brown dotted line.  It is interesting to note the proposed new road from Mark Fernald's house over the Eliot line in Kittery to the intersection of what is now Beech Road.  This became the long stretch of State Road that goes past the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery.  Before this new stretch of road existed everyone travelled on what is today Leach Road to Bolt Hill Road, to Main Street and Moses Gerrish Farmer Road to get from Kittery to the where the center of Eliot is today.  Also notice the proposed road that would have existed just north of where Hanscom Road is today and come out around Fernald Lane continuing across to Littlebrook Lane and on to the sharp corner of Goodwin Road at Frost Hill.  The last two things to note are Beech Road is named New Road, and the section of State Road between the Grange Hall and the end of Fore Road does not exist and wasn't even proposed at this time.

The notes included with this drawing indicate that these new roads were being proposed as a way to reduce the travel distance between Rice's Ferry in Kittery up to the South Berwick Landing.  This was most likely an appeal to the State to build these roads to make commercial transportation between these two hubs more efficient.

Sunset Hill Gravel 1911

 

Sunset Hill Gravel Pit circa 1916

Remains of stone foundation

A walk through the woods on the northern side of Sunset Hill reveals the remains of a stone cellar.  A building of some kind that was abandoned long ago.  It sits in a cut of land that rises steeply to Sunset Hill on the south.  Today tree growth partially obscures the fact that this was once a productive gravel pit abandoned one hundred years ago.  What was this gravel pit and why was it here?  The short answer is this gravel pit was owned by William Augustus Shapleigh (1859-1932) who owned the large old home that his father Samuel built which is now 196 Fore Road.  In October 1911 construction began on a branch of the Atlantic Shore Line Railway to bring rail cars to the gravel pit.  This branch line can be seen on the 1916 USGS map.

1916 USGS map

Eliot has not had a shortage of gravel operations, both in the past and continuing today.  The reason for this is the location of many glacial outwash features that make up Eliot's landscape.  Eliot features many glacial drumlins that are basically the result of receding glaciers dumping the enormous amount of rocky debris that had accumulated in the ice at certain spots on the surface of the land as they melted and receded north 16,000 years ago. 

Eliot drumlins in terrain view

Many of these drumlins have been further eroded by the ocean waters that poured in while the bedrock was still compressed from the weight of the glaciers.  The drumlins are the various hills that we see around Eliot.  They are mostly elongated, often teardrop-shaped and point in the direction of the glacier's retreat.  The drumlins contain much of the gravel material sought for construction projects.  Sunset Hill was one of these.

Contour map of Sunset Hill

In September 1912 a railcar loaded with gravel from the Sunset Hill gravel pit derailed causing disruption to normal rail transportation between Eliot and Dover, NH for several hours.  Rail worker Perley Dame of South Eliot was injured in the accident.

By 1919 the gravel pit was deeded to William's son Henry who seems to have used to it to secure mortgages that were eventually settled in 1930 by signing the land over to the York County Trust Company.

The land today is mostly overgrown.  Most people, unless they live near the site, have probably never heard of it or have seen the remains of the gravel operation.  It is one of the historical treasures that are fun to come across while taking a leisurely walk through the woods.  A reminder of a time long ago.

In 1940 all of this land was acquired by Edward and Minnie Gleason who in turn deeded it to Melvin and Alice Stadig in 1942.  The Stadig's owned it until 1977 when they sold it to Robert Levesque Sr. who then deeded it to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland, who held it until selling to the present owners in 1996.

Lost Houses, Lost History

John Frost House in 1910 Brixham Road

Eliot folks are a fortunate group of people.  We live in an area that has largely remained rural and undeveloped for centuries.  People first started building houses here in 1633, and some of our modern property lines still run along the original boundaries that were laid out 380 years ago.  Early colonial settlements and farms that were part of the original Massachusetts Bay Colony were largely bulldozed over due to the pressures of suburban Boston planning over the last century and a half.  If people want to see original colonial-era houses that are still standing, they can see many by driving north into New Hampshire and Maine.  Many of these old homes were built with thick, sturdy timbers from nearby forests.  I know many people trying to keep 20th century homes from falling apart.  Sadly this is a losing battle in my opinion.  The construction of many modern houses was never meant to last centuries.  We will not have homes built in the 20th century standing in the 23rd century the way we have 18th century homes still standing in Eliot today, which is why it is all the more tragic when we lose one of these historic marvels to the bulldozer or the ravages of time. 

I also understand that these homes have not survived on their own.  They survive because they have had centuries of careful owners and caretakers.  We owe a debt of gratitude to those that buy or inherit an old house and care for it and give it life.  I do not know all of the old houses of Eliot that we have lost over the past century.  I just know the ones that we have lost since I first came to Eliot 25 years ago.  

1740s John Frost House lost 2013

The John Frost house on Brixham Road was one that awakened me to the reality that all of these old houses may not remain forever.  I didn't even know it was going to be demolished.  This house is featured in the "Images of America" book on Eliot produced by Margaret Elliott and the Eliot Historical Society in 2005.  One day in 2013 I was driving up Brixham Road and noticed that the old house that always greeted you as you rounded the gentle corner was suddenly gone.  

Clover Farm circa 1910 w/ Arthur Lee Hanscom

Our most recent loss is the 1750 Hanscom house which was better known as "Clover Farm" on Main
Street.  After the loss of the John Frost house a few of us asked the town of Eliot if they would provide us notice when an old property is going to be demolished so that we may try to contact the owner or developer to attempt a last recording of the structural, architectural, and family history of a property that will soon cease to exist in our town.  Not long after we took pictures of what remained of Clover Farm, the property was bulldozed to make way for a new development.  I personally don't understand it.  I love old houses.  I would love to see new developments retain some of the old structures and property features if it is feasible.  I would much rather live in a place that had preserved real history, than anywhere where history was sterilized and paved over, or worse, invented.  I have to believe I am not alone.

Clover Farm lost 2021

Even an 18th century house will not survive forever without a caretaker who has the means to perform expensive repairs and maintenance.  Some of these old houses are small in an era when buyers are looking for large open-concept houses.  It takes a special kind of buyer.  A buyer that appreciates the history of a house, the stories of the families that have lived in that house, and a desire to preserve that past while carrying on the long caretaker tradition of that house.  One day their time spent living in and caring for the old house will also be part of the history of the house.

There is a favorite poem of mine by the poet Joyce Kilmer.  It is called "The House With Nobody In It".  I reproduce it here because it speaks of the soul of an old house and the sadness when its days are done.

The House With Nobody In It

by Joyce Kilmer

Whenever I walk to Suffern along the Erie track

I go by a poor old farmhouse with its shingles broken and black.

I suppose I've passed it a hundred times, but I always stop for a minute

And look at the house, the tragic house, the house with nobody in it.

I never have seen a haunted house, but I hear there are such things;

That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings.

I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do;

For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two.

This house on the road to Suffern needs a dozen panes of glass,

And somebody ought to weed the walk and take a scythe to the grass.

It needs new paint and shingles, and the vines should be trimmed and tied;

But what it needs the most of all is some people living inside.

If I had a lot of money and all my debts were paid

I'd put a gang of men to work with brush and saw and spade.

I'd buy that place and fix it up the way it used to be

And I'd find some people who wanted a home and give it to them free.

Now, a new house standing empty, with staring window and door,

Looks idle, perhaps, and foolish, like a hat on its block in the store.

But there's nothing mournful about it; it cannot be sad and lone

For the lack of something within it that it has never known.

But a house that has done what a house should do,

 a house that has sheltered life,

That has put its loving wooden arms around a man and his wife,

A house that has echoed a baby's laugh and held up his stumbling feet,

Is the saddest sight, when it's left alone, that ever your eyes could meet.

So whenever I go to Suffern along the Erie track

I never go by the empty house without stopping and looking back,

Yet it hurts me to look at the crumbling roof and the shutters fallen apart,

For I can't help thinking the poor old house is a house with a broken heart.

The Frost Garrisons

 

1738 Frost Garrison 

When learning about Eliot history we hear a lot about "The Frost Garrisons".  Not to be confused with "The Frost Garrison".  How many can locate it or really know what it is?  What is the difference between "The Frost Garrisons" and "The Frost Garrison"?  There are currently three locations in Eliot that are on the National Register of Historic Places.  The William Fogg Library, the Paul Family Farm, and the Frost Garrison and House.  

2014 Clean Up

I will admit that for a long time after I started researching Eliot history I still did not know much about the Frost Garrisons.  I had never even seen the site until I volunteered on a work crew in 2014 to provide much needed clean-up and brush clearing around the old structures.

What and Where is it?

The Frost Garrisons are three structures all built within a few years of each other starting in 1733 by Colonel John Frost (b. 1709)  The three structures are located at 23 Garrison Drive in Eliot.  The original land on which the garrisons stand encompassed about 140 acres and was known as Stony Brook Farm.  The Town of Kittery granted this land to Charles Frost in 1660.  Stony Brook was one of the ancient names for the York River.

Frost Hill today

  The Stony Brook land was given to Charles's second son John Frost (b. 1681) in his will after he died at Ambush Rock in 1697.  John Frost was residing at Newcastle, NH and had no immediate need for the land, but did apparently build a house and barn here in which a tenant lived.  In 1730 (York Deeds Book 14 Folio 59) he sold this Stony Brook property to his son Colonel John Frost for 1,000 pounds.

1736 Powder House

Colonel John Frost quickly set to work building his homestead upon Frost Hill.  The main house was constructed about 1735 and finished in 1736.  The smaller garrison structure which became known as the "Powder house" was probably constructed next, followed by the larger garrison house constructed in 1738.  Why were these garrison structures built at this time?  Colonel John Frost was building his homestead in a fairly isolated part of Kittery.  And his family was very familiar with the dangers posed by the historically bad relations with the Native populations.  By 1730, most of the Wabenaki Confederacy had abandoned their coastal settlements and pulled back further inland and north to Canada, but there were still skirmishes related to the ongoing wars on the frontiers.  Colonel John Frost had lost his grandfather Charles to an Indian attack 33 years earlier.  Building garrisons as a precaution was still a prudent measure in 1730.  

1736 Frost House

 

The application for acceptance of the Frost Garrison property into the National Register of Historic Places mentions that the original Frost house was destroyed in 1760 and rebuilt in 1778,  I have not found any evidence of this.  In fact a descendant of Colonel John Frost who was living in the house in 1836, Joseph W. Frost provided a written certification that he discovered a record of the building of his house that stated the chimneys were finished in 1736.  I believe at the time of this application to the NRHP there was confusion between the Colonel John Frost Garrison and the Major Charles Frost Garrison which actually was destroyed in 1760.  The Charles Frost Garrison stood just south of the sharp bend on Goodwin Road and will be the subject of a future blog article.

The description as part of the NRHP application mentions there was once a tunnel that led from the main house to the smaller garrison house as a means to evacuate the house for the safety of the garrison in the event of an attack.  It would be interesting to find evidence of this tunnel.

Were there Indian attacks?

Joseph W. Frost cites 1736 document

It is also mentioned in the history of the Frost Garrison site submitted to the NRHP that there is evidence of arrow and bullet attacks upon the garrison.  I have not found any evidence that any Indian attacks occurred within the boundaries of the Town of Kittery after 1730.  Most of the ongoing battles at this time occurred much further inland.  The most known battle was the 1725 Battle of Pequawket fought at the site of present-day Fryeburg, Maine as part of the end of "Dummer's War".

20th Century

1984 Subdivision

The Frost Garrisons known for many years as the Frost Farm at Frost Hill remained in the Frost Family for 287 years until 1947.  The property was eventually sold in 1969 to Joseph Parsons who was the owner when the application was approved for the National Register of Historic Places.

By 1984 the 100 acre property went through a subdivision.  So today the Frost Garrisons lie on a 4.7 acre lot surrounded by a modern residential development.

I have mentioned a couple of examples of how the John Frost Garrisons is often confused with the original Frost Garrison of Charles Frost.  If you look up the Frost Garrisons on the Internet you will see the repeated mistake that it is the ancestral home of the poet Robert Frost.  The Charles Frost Garrison is the ancestral home of Robert Frost, not the Colonel John Frost Garrisons.  

Today 

Author & Son 2014

People sometimes ask the Eliot Historical Society if the Frost Garrisons is a publicly accessible site and can it be visited freely.  The answer right now is no.  The property has always been privately owned.  So any visit should be with the property-owner's permission.  There is an easement with the property that any work proposed on either of the three buildings requires an opinion from the Maine Historical Preservation Commission.  It would be a tragedy to lose such a historical treasure which is why a number of us gathered in a cold steady rain in 2014 to cut away vegetation that was overtaking the structures.  The nature of the property as a private residence means future generations rely on owners who have a passion for preserving the history of their property.