Standish Historical Society

  Life Behind the Walls: The Fort at Pearsontown By the late 1750s, settlement at Pearsontown remained a difficult and uncertain endeavor. Although families had begun establishing themselves in the community, the threat of conflict with Native peoples still affected nearly every aspect of daily life. The fort provided protection, but life within its walls could be challenging, particularly when food supplies became scarce. A diary entry from 1759 and a story passed down by early settler Thomas Shaw provide a glimpse into the hardships faced by those who lived at the fort. The Reverend Thomas Smith, pastor of the First Parish Church of Falmouth, now Portland, recorded in his diary that on January 10, 1759, during his first visit to Pearsontown, there was little to be seen there other than the fort. Life within the fort remained difficult, especially when food became scarce. The inhabitants were hindered in their efforts to raise crops because of the fear of attacks by Native peoples...

  A Fort in the Wilderness: Pearson and Hobbs Town By 1755, the settlement of Pearson and Hobbs Town—present-day Standish—was home to approximately thirty men, women, and children. Life on the frontier was difficult, and the settlers faced the constant possibility of conflict with Native Americans in the surrounding region. For these early families, the fort was more than simply a defensive structure; it was an essential part of their survival. According to a petition filed by Moses Pearson with the General Court of Massachusetts, the fort was equipped with a carriage gun and several smaller wall pieces. Nine of the men living there were supplied with arms and ammunition for the protection of the settlement. The large carriage gun and smaller wall pieces were intended to provide a formidable defense in the event of an attack. Guns for the Garrison The Massachusetts Archives contain a notice dated August 27, 1757, concerning additional weapons and supplies sent to the fort: “Boston,...

  The Fort at Pearson Hobbstown When the first proprietors began planning a settlement on the lands that would eventually become Standish, they faced a difficult and uncertain task. The area was remote, roads were few, and relations with Native peoples remained unsettled. Although the proprietors were eager to establish families on their new lands, they recognized that settlement could not safely proceed without some means of protection. The need for a fortified place became increasingly urgent as reports of hostilities reached the eastern settlements of Massachusetts. For the men and families who hoped to make their homes at Pearson Hobbstown, a fort would provide not only a place of refuge in times of danger, but also the security necessary for the settlement itself to survive. The proprietors soon decided that it would be necessary to erect a fort before settlement could safely begin. In May of 1752, Captain Humphrey Hobbs and twenty grantees petitioned the General Court of Mass...