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Old Fort Western
The Gem of the
Kennebec
By: Linda Novak
The first time I visited Old Fort
Western was the spring of 1983.
Fresh from earning a BA in
Anthropology from Orono, I was
hired as the lab supervisor and field
archaeologist for the "History in the Ground" Archaeological
Excavation. Little did I know that Fort Western would become
an important chapter in my life. Before 1983 I had observed
the rambling fort building from the Memorial Bridge and
would make a mental note to visit
it; but like so many of us, failed to
see what was in my own backyard.
16 Cony Street
Augusta ME 04330
Phone: 207-626-2385
Fax: 207-626-2304
E-mail: oldfort@oldfortwestern.org
www.oldfortwestern.org
A b o u t
Fort Western Dispatch
O l d
F o r t
W e s t e r n
Old Fort Western, built in 1754, is owned by the City of Augusta, managed by a City-appointed Board of Trustees, and supported by annual City appropriation and by membership dues, program fees, and annual campaign and other
public/private donations. The Fort’s logo, featuring the words “Augusta, Maine,” symbolizes this public/private partnership for historic preservation and interpretation.
The Fort, a National Historic Landmark, is open for walk-in visitation daily from the first weekend in May to
Labor Day, weekends only to Columbus Day, and for special events. Pre-scheduled school and other group tours are
available anytime, either at the Fort or where your school or group meets. A lecture series begins each February. See
our Web site for details.
Members of Old Fort Western receive the Fort Western Dispatch by mail, discounts in the Fort’s gift shop, and
free admission to the Fort. Contact us by mail at: Old Fort Western, 16 Cony Street, Augusta, ME 04330 or phone:
(207) 626-2385. You can also E-mail us at oldfort@oldfortwestern.org or visit our Web site at www.oldfortwestern.org.
Protecting, preserving, and Interpreting the National Historic Landmark Fort, Store and House on
the Kennebec River in Augusta, Maine’s Capital City.
Winter/Spring 2012
person accounts such as diaries, journals and letters) and secondary sources (2nd person accounts such as newspaper articles and textbooks.). Fort Western is fortunate to have a large
store of written documentation to work with. These include
copies of muster roles, probate inventories, deeds, newspaper
articles as well as copies of correspondence from Governor
William Shirley, James Howard, William Lithgow, and others. The most overlooked and under used written records at
Fort Western are the Howard Account Books.
Incredibly, we now own three
original account books from the
Howard Store and we possess a
copy of a fourth
account book
still owned by Howard family
descendents. In the last year a
fifth account book has been found
by
Howard descendents which
will be donated back to the fort
along with other Howard family
relics. By indexing and tracing
individuals and their accounts
through the pages of four of the
account books, it is evident that
there are at least eight books dating from 1767 to around 1804.
The fact that five books survive is amazing
and the information contained within their
pages is an extremely valuable resource.
Soon after , I was accepted by the
College of William & Mary for
their graduate program in Anthropology/Historic Archaeology. The
eleven years I spent in Virginia
were an exciting and wonderful
learning experience. While attending school, I kept getting fantastic
job opportunities: first at the
Colonial National Historic Park at
Jamestown where I cataloged
archaeological artifacts from
Jamestown Island, then the James River
Picture: Courtesy of Augusta
Institute where I wrote, supervised, and cataTree Board
loged 17th and 18th century archaeological
collections from Jamestown and Yorktown including the
The next two sources of good history interpretation are oral
William Rogers "Poor Potter" Kiln site, Yorktown Battlefield,
Great Valley Road, and the Nelson, Smith and Ballard Houses. history and material culture. We have the only surviving
wooden garrison building from the French and Indian
In 1991 I was hired by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
as Assistant Conservator of Archaeology and then as Assistant War era left standing in the United States. It doesn't get
any better then that. We have the archaeological collections
Curator of Archaeology.
from the four major excavations associated with the fort as
When I decided to move back home to Maine In 1996, I well as access to the archaeological collections from Fort
contacted Fort Western and offered my services. Jay Adams Halifax. Augusta residents as well as Howard family descenhired me to catalog and analyze artifacts under an Ordiorne dants have kept objects from the fort and the stories associated
Grant. When the position of Office and Information Coordina- with them alive. These Howard family pieces that once betor became available, I made the transition and during the longed to the fort include furniture, tea services, glassware,
offseason continued archaeological analysis of Old Fort silverware, account books, etc. and have now been returned
Western collections. I left Fort Western in 1995 for another through the generosity of these Howard family descendants.
job with the city. After Jay retired as Director in 2009, I
applied for the position and was hired in August 2010, bringing The fact that we can marry the written documentation and oral
history to the material culture creates ideal conditions for hisme back full circle to Fort Western.
toric interpretation and defines Fort Western as a unique and
Why am I telling you this? All the historic places I have valuable historic site. We have the resources available to proworked, and all the archaeological collections I have cataloged, mote the Fort and expand knowledge of its importance from
conserved and cared for have given me a unique perspective. the local Augusta-Hallowell area to all of Maine and New
Although People may realize the gem Fort Western is, we England. In fact, the theme for this year's Winter Lecture
don’t always realize that it is so much more than a building, Series will focus on the Howard Account Books and what
they mean to the history of the Kennebec, Maine and New
we have an unbelievable record of written history here.
England. I hope you will be able to attend one or more
Any good interpretation of history comes from three sources: lectures (please see the calendar insert for details) and conthe written record, oral history, and material culture. The tinue to support the fort and help it take its proper place in
written record, falls into two categories; primary sources (first
history.
We like being your Friend!
Will you still be ours?
A note from you at this time
would be ever so appreciated.
Please continue the relationship
as it exists now or if you like, express it anew in one of the following ways:
◊ The Beverly Hewins Society
$25.00-$99.00
Ms. Hewins expressed her friendship
by helping to form the first board of
trustees in 1958 and then took the lead
in building the Fort’s collections.
◊ The Robert Hotelling Society
$100.00-$299.00
Robert’s vision during the 1980s of a
restored Fort Western in a new City
Center complex was largely responsible for the historic and support facilities that make possible all we do today.
◊ Mary Maher McCarthy Society
$300.00-$499.00
Mary was the best of Friends as the
City of Augusta celebrated its bicentennial in 1997 and then when Fort Western marked its 250th anniversary in
2004.
◊ The Gannett Society
$500.00-and up
William Howard Gannett and Guy Patterson Gannett used their own funds to
restore Fort Western at a time when
historic preservation was a new idea
and thus, in the spirit of true friendship, gave us all a gift of lasting importance.
James Howard's Company Year in Review 2011
by Mark A. Rohman
Continued success is measured in progressive steps. If you
agree with this then you could easily say the Living Historical group,
James Howard's Company (of
which I am a member), had a very
successful year in 2011.
In January of this year we
met and determined our goals for
the year. Some of these ideas centered around individuals as well as
the entire group. Essentially, all of
our thoughts came back to one basic
concept: do the best we can to support the national treasure we have
here in Kennebec County, Maine –
Old Fort Western.
We started the year by attending the winter lecture series set
up by the fort's Director, Linda Novak, and her Office Assistant,
Loretta Lathe. We often met briefly
afterward to discuss the upcoming
year and the excitement we hoped
to bring to our group. We determined a schedule of events for the
year and decided to meet once a
month at the fort for drill while collaborating with the fort's 2011
scheduled events. For instance, we
held an overnight encampment for
our Camp Of Instruction during the
fort's opening weekend (Memorial
Day weekend May 28th and 29th).
The weekend was spent learning
French and Indian War era military
drill as well as refining our overall
living historical impression.
We also launched our own
website:
http://jashowardscoy.cushnoc.net/.
This enabled us to post our
By-Laws & Standards for the unit,
2011 Events Calendar and contact
information as well as brief histories on Old Fort Western. Links to
local historical sites and organizations were also listed in the interest
of fostering a collaborative effort to
promote and educate the public
about the many different historical
interests in the area.
Our monthly drills were
quite successful. Through the use of
our own equipment, as well as
those borrowed from the forts supplies, we were able to refine and
adapt our historical knowledge as
well as our overall understanding of
what it was like to be a garrisoned
soldier stationed at Fort Western on
the eastern frontier during the
French and Indian War. Some members of the group were also able to
participate in a few local offsite
events at the Pownalborough Courthouse and Swan's Island.
All in all the year 2011 was
a successful one for James Howard's Company. We were able to
accomplish the goals set forth at the
beginning of the year and will continue to build on this success in
2012.
We are always looking for
new members to join are group. If
you have an interest in historical
interpretation with a group of individuals dedicated to preserving and
protecting Old Fort Western then by
all means please contact us through
email at:
Name___________________________
jameshowardscopany@yahoo.com
or phone the Old Fort Western
(www.oldfortwestern.org) offices at
626-2385. I would be more than
happy to answer any questions you
may have regarding the wonderful
hobby of historical interpretation
and help you on your way to protecting and preserving the past.
Address_________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
E-mail__________________________
The Old Fort Western Fund is a taxexempt, 501 (c)(3) organization. Friends
dues are fully tax-deductible.
James Howard Co.’s Mark Rohman
The mission of Old Fort Western
is to preserve, protect and interpret the public the Historic Landmark Main House and Archaeological site. The Fort relies on its
membership to offset the cost of
attaining this goal; in fact 100%
of the money raised through membership is used to offset these
costs.
Sample, Judy
2011 Business Donations
Sturtevant, Noreen
Thanks go to the following area
businesses and organizations who Thibodeau, Stephanie
chose to support the fort through
The Gannett Society $500.00 & monetary donations:
2011 Volunteers
above
Fort Western is privileged to
Rowe, John W.
Burt’s Security Center, Inc
have a core of volunteers dediWilhelm, Irma J.
DAR Koussinoc Chapter
Viles, Elsie
Elsie & William Viles Foundation cated to helping the fort attain
its goals. Over the last year the
Harvest Time Natural Foods
J.S. McCarthy
following individuals have vol2011 Business Friends
2011 Individual Friends
unteered for special public
In lieu of cash memberships, busi- Le Club Calumet
Liberal Cup
Thanks go to the following indievents, equipment cleaning and
nesses were asked for in-kind
Maine State Credit Union
viduals who have remained
maintenance, and collections
donations and/or supplies for
friends or have become friends of school programming and special Order of First Families of Maine management:
Oxford Networks
the fort.
public events at the fort such as
Bryson, Joan
our Independence Day Celebra2011 Business Niche Funding
Beverly Hewins Society $25.00- tion and annual silent auction.
Collins, Roger
$99.00
Coryell, Jane
Thanks go to the following busi- These are businesses who chose
to support specific events or edu- Dearborn, Dick
Barnard, Kenneth
nesses for making this year’s
cational programs. Thanks go to Foster, Adrienne
Butler, Jane
special events such a success:
the following businesses:
Canarelli, Lynn
Kennerson, Cyndi
Clark, Jeanne
Lathe, Andrew
In-Kind Donations:
Clifford, Margaret
Apprenticeship
Morrissey, Peter
The following businesses
Augusta Rotary
Cook, David and Margaret
Novak, Emily
1-800 Water Damage
Capital Area Federal CU
Crockett, Davy & Donna
Novak, Stanley
Augusta Child Care
DECD State of Maine
Datz, Robert
Palmer, Perry
Augusta Fuel Company
Dennett, David
Payson, Jeanne
Augusta House of Pancakes
Dillenbeck, Henry
Independence Day
Novak, Emily
Augusta Seafood
Ballard’s Meat & Seafood
Doore, Tom
Stevens, Morgan
Augusta Recreation
Emery’s Meats and Produce
Fallon, Jean M.
Wilhelm, I. J.
Augusta Tree Board
NorthCenter FoodService Corp.
Freeman, Richard & Elaine
Bagel Mainea
Pepsi Beverage Company
Gonyar, Philip
Ballard’s Meats
A special thanks goes to our
Gruener, Nicia & Bill
Beads on the Kennebec
Junior Historic Interpreters for
Heselton, Hilda
2011 Employees
Capilo’s School/Hair Design
their many hours of service.
We constantly survey those who
Howe, Elizabeth
Capital Area Federal FCU
visit Fort Western as to what we 2011/2012 Board of
Johnson, William
Capitol Computers
do well and how they rate their
Leamon, James S.
Children’s Discovery Museum
Trustees/Directors
visit. Consistently, OFW receives Finally, a special thanks goes to
Linz, William & Mary
Chinah Dinah
high marks. Visitors list the
Liscomb, Paulene
the members of the Old Fort
CJ’s Pizza
knowledge and the professional- Western Board of Trustees and
Mairs, Don and Nancy
Cozy Cottage
ism of Old Fort Western staff as
Martin, James W.
Old Fort Western Fund Board of
Damon’s Pizza & Italians
the number one reason for their
Marvin, Louise
Directors for their dedication
Dominoes Pizza
positive experience. Thanks go to and service to the fort:
Nilsson, Harold & Ebby
Downtown Diner
the following fort Historic InterPetersen, Daniel & Kathleen
Emery’s Meats and Produce
preters for doing a fantastic job! Cheever, David
Pickett, Corinne & James
Flo’s Flower Cart
Prugh, Mary Ann
Coryell, Jane
Gabriel’s Jewelry & Repair
Anderson, Joyce
Roberts, Halcyon
Crockett, David H.
Hannaford-Whitten Road
Bryson, Joan
Roley, Geraldine M.
Doore, Thomas
Imaginations Family Hair Care
Burkes, John
Skillin, Lillian
Freeman, Rev. Richard H.
Kennebec Chocolates
Collins, Roger
Stevens, Carolyn C.
Hazzard, Wendy
Lithgow Public Library
Crocker, Abby
Surowiec, Muriel W.
McCabe, Terrance F.
Newman Concrete Services
Dearborn, Marjorie
Webb, Eleanor
O’Connor, Margaret
Natanis Golf Course
Fortin, John
Wilder, Bonnie
Pomerleau, Roger
Pizza Hut
Fudge, Bill
Rebecca’s Restaurant
Johnston, Judy
Robert Hotelling Society $100.00 Riverfront Bar and Grille
Directors
Lathe, Loretta
-$299.00
Lund, William
Six Sisters Crafting
Mock, Doug
Blouin, Mary
Quigg, Patrick
Sub Way Sandwich Shop
Morrissey, Peter
Burns, Gary and Carolyn
Nichols, Daniel
The Humble Forge
Novak, Stanley
Bean, Cynthia O.
The Senator Inn & Spa
Payson, Jeanne
Campbell, Roger & Nancy
Transco Office Products
Officers
Porter, Donna
Coryell, Jane
Freeman, Richard H. Chair
Vickery Café
Richards, William
Katz, Roger & Birdie
Coryell, Jane Secretary
YMCA-Augusta Campus
Porter, Donna
Johnston, Mark & Judy
McCabe, Terrence F. Treasurer
McCabe, Terrance
Scribner, Rodney
Sotir, Tom & Sandy
Interesting Stories about the Howard Family: Margaret Howard
By: Jane Coryell
mariner, traveling back and forth from
San Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii. His
son, Henry, Jr., was a master mariner as
well, and for many years, he traveled the
round trip from San Francisco to Sydney,
Australia via Pago Pago.
How are Fort Western and
frozen foods connected? Read
this article concerning the
Genealogy of the Howard
family and find out!
James Howard and David Patterson,
both Scots-Irish, immigrated to Boston,
Massachusetts from Northern Ireland in
the 1730s. In 1735, they, with a number
of other Scots-Irish, settled on the St.
George’s River, now the town of
Warren. Howard’s daughter, Margaret,
was born there in 1738 and Patterson’s
son, James, was born there after 1735.
As we know, James Howard moved to
Fort Western in 1754, and very likely his
wife and daughter accompanied him.
Margaret and James Patterson were
married on February 8, 1763 in
Hallowell (now Augusta) by the bride’s
father. This was the first marriage in the
area, and Howard was the only person
authorized to marry people.
James and Margaret Patterson settled in
what is now Dresden. James was a
master mariner, as was his son, Samuel,
who first sailed a coasting vessel for the
Howards, and later sailed between Wiscasset and London and other foreign
ports. Margaret’s granddaughter,
Elizabeth Howard Patterson, married
Edward Ernest Houdlette. The Houdlettes were Huguenots who had moved
to Dresden in about 1751. The two sons
of Edward and Elizabeth, Edward, Jr.
and Henry Clay, were both mariners.
Edward stayed in Dresden until after
1870, when he moved to San Francisco,
California in about 1875. Henry also
moved to San Francisco after 1880 and
was there for many years as a master
Margaret Howard’s granddaughter,
Mary Patterson, married
Joseph Farley Gannett. She had 14
children, of whom eight or nine lived to
adulthood. We know about William
Howard Gannett, their eleventh child,
but their thirteenth child was just as
successful. Samuel Stinson Gannett
moved to Bath to live with his Uncle
Henry Gannett. The Daily Kennebec
Journal of September 29, 1879 reports
that “Samuel S. Gannett, an Augusta
boy, graduated in July from the Bath
High School with High Honors. He has
been with his uncle in Bath for four
years past, and he will now send him to
Bowdoin College. Young Gannett intends becoming an engineer.” Young
Gannett actually graduated in the class
of 1883 and became a Topographer
with the U. S. Geological Survey,
Washington, D.C. He was involved in
a number of cases of boundary disputes
between the states; for example, the
boundary lines between
New Hampshire and Vermont,
Arkansas and Mississippi, and
Oklahoma and Texas. His cousin,
Henry Gannett, a Harvard graduate,
was an American geographer who is
described as the "Father of the Quadrangle" which is the basis for
topographical maps in the United States, and
one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society. He would
serve as its first secretary, then treasurer,
then vice-president, and finally president
in 1909.
a biology major at Amherst College
when [he] quit school to work as a
naturalist for the US government. He
was posted to the Arctic, where he observed
first-hand the ways of the
native Americans who lived there.
This silhouette of Samuel Howard , courtesy of
Jim Schlosser, descendent of the Howard
family, is the only known likeness of the grandson of Captain James Howard. Captain Howard and his sons served at the fort and the
elder Howard later purchased the fort in 1769
and founded Augusta’s first store.
Samuel Gannett’s daughter, Eleanor,
married Clarence Birdseye, the
December, 1977 Inventor of the Week,
according to MIT’s web site. “Clarence
Birdseye found a way to flash-freeze
foods and deliver them to the public—one
of the most important steps forward ever
taken in the food industry.
“Born in Brooklyn in 1886, Birdseye was
Birdseye saw that the combination of
ice, wind and temperature almost instantly froze just-caught fish straight
through. More importantly, he found
that when the fish were cooked and
eaten, they were scarcely different in
taste and texture than they would have
been if fresh.
“Birdseye the biologist saw that the fish
were frozen too quickly for ice crystals
to form and ruin their cellular structure.
Birdseye the businessman saw that the
public back home would gladly pay for
such frozen foods, if he could deliver
them. He returned to New York, and in
1924 founded Birdseye Seafoods, Inc.”
Our Program Coordinator Looks Back on 2011
station of the “Learning to Work”
program. At another time, Noreen
Sturtevant worked with a group
harvesting carrots, potatoes and
turnips from our garden. Next the
harvested vegetables were brought to
interpreter Donna Porter and made
into a stew.
There are now four rooms on
the second floor available for our
daily life programs. Repairs and
The forge where students learn
painting completed by Stanley Novak
about blacksmithing in the
in the south end have turned what had
“Learning to Work” program.
been the “tenement room” to a second
bed chamber. This
arrangement
January and February of 2011 were
means that 100 children can concurspent exploring new ideas and
rently participate in our daily life propiloting them. We spent some time
making lesson plans more flexible to gram with two programs rotating
through the south end.
adjust to the needs of different age
During the summer Loretta
levels. A major concept in our
Lathe and Judy Sample wrote new
revisions was to examine the Old
protocol for opening and closing and
Fort Western
“Our fall high point
emphasized these procedures with the
experience as if
came as we realized
interpreters. Practices related to the
standing in the
safety of the apprentices were also
that most of our sign shoes of our
examined and revised to make sure
visitors.
up came from 2nd
the children were properly chaperBased
grade teachers bringoned. The Apprentice week’s lesson
on these
ing their students to
plan was revamped to include
analyses, we
do our shopping pro- adjusted our
archeological immersion at the end of
gram.”
interpretation to our session and the “soldier’s” day
was expanded to include examination
have a more
of historic documents, the signing of
logical flow with a strengthened
sense of consistency and connection. the muster roll with a quill pen and
Linda Novak examined the north end games. Our mission statement “to
preserve, protect and interpret” was
house tour and led us to weed out
emphasized with the apprentices as
stories and anecdotes which had
well.
.
drifted over into the area of myth.
Our fall high point came as
She pulled us back to that which is
we realized that most of our sign up
verifiable as fact, based on historic
came from 2nd grade teachers bringing
documents, material culture and
their students to do our shopping proarcheological discoveries.
Since April training, we have gram. While talking with visiting
teachers it was made clear to us that
been engaged in building a team of
their students were having difficulty
interpreters who are supported and
encouraged to develop their skills so with the concepts; product, customer
they can shine in more varied hands- and barter. A simpler more direct
interpretation proved successful. The
on activities. For instance, Pete
new demonstrations included; packing
Morrissey was sharpening tools at
a bag full of products made at home,
the grindstone while Roger Collins
(soap, woven cloth, shingles), travelmade nails at the forge. The participants experienced both activities and ing to the store by boat, showing the
worked with both interpreters in one storekeeper what the family brought
Junior Interpreter, Rachel Lathe,
making pies Columbus Day weekend.
to trade, examining the goods and
services available to the customer
and taking those goods back home.
All through this year, we
have had our traditional special
events with some new events such
as an archeological tour of our site
with visits to related sites along the
Kennebec, making apple pies on the
open hearth which was
Program
Director,
Judy
Sample,
seems to be
looking for
her apprentice.
demonstrated by our returning veteran Jeanne Payson during our Columbus Day Weekend events. Also,
A Spooky Halloween and a Christmas Open House during Augusta’s
Tree Lighting ceremony coordinated and planned in conjunction
with the Augusta Downtown Alliance are two new promising events
that take place when hundreds of
people come to visit Historic Downtown Augusta.
4
F o r t
2 0 1 1
V i s i t a t i o n
Old Fort Western 2011 Visitation
2011
3162
46
32
774
58
10561
14633
Admissions
Fort Tours
Annual Friends/Family Dinner
Winter Lecture Series
Apprenticeship
Pre-schedule Programming
2010
1819
2009
2225
72
9567
11458
73
10943
13241
2011 Prescheduled Visitation
Prescheduled programming is predominantly school and summer
camps. Over the last seven years there has been a downward
trend. This trend can be contributed to several factors.





2004 was our peak visitation year due to the Fort's Celebration of its 250th so it was expected for school programming
to fall off the following year.
The MEA testing for the state moved to October, limiting
schools ability to schedule field trips during this month
which has always been the peak fall month for OFW school
programs.
Available spaces and schedule times for school programs
became rigid and hands-on stations became rote and stale.
With this and administrative staff changes, the ability to
schedule multiple programs in the same time slot was lost.
With the School Consolidation Act, Schools that traditionally
came to us were merged or consolidated into different school
unions and as a result many teachers were let go or retired.
It is gratifying that Old Fort Western receives most of its
loyalty from individual teachers not the schools in which
they teach; but, when loyal teachers retire or leave, there is a
tendency to loose those schools where they taught.
All these factors together tipped the balance against Old Fort
Western as a viable field trip destination for many schools; especially after the economic downturn. Teachers were not getting a
unique experience every time they came to Old Fort Western so
they opted to go someplace closer to home.
W es t e r n
S t a t i s t i c s
Fort Western visitation consists of visitors from the general public
as well as pre-scheduled group visitation from schools and other
groups who come to participate in hands-on programs and tours.
Overall, 2011 visitation is the highest its been in three years. Prescheduled visitation was higher than 2010 and only slightly behind
2009. Admissions figures are significantly higher then 2009 and
2010 giving Fort Western the best admission numbers in three
years.
We may have stopped the downward trend and have even recouped
some lost ground. Over the last year, OFW has made many
changes. We have:
 Analyzed data and removed those programs that were poorly
attended or easily done by teachers in their own classroom and
kept those programs with strong hands-on components that
continue to be the most popular programs and make OFW
unique.
 Reorganize the available space in the fort used for school programming to accommodate multiple, simultaneous programs.
 Added more hands-on stations within each program and insure
each program is a unique experience.
 Added incentive to sign-up in September (a traditionally abysmal school visitation month) to offset the losses in October
caused by the MEA.
The feedback from the teachers has been positive. Many teachers
over the last year came into the office and told us that it was going
to be their last year coming to Old Fort Western; however, because
of the changes made in flexibility and the addition of new hands-on
activities; they would be back next year.
N
o
r
t
h
e
a
s
t
1000
Number of
Visitors
10000
800
600
6000
400
4000
200
2000
0
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
CY2005
CY2006
CY2007
CY2008
CY2009
CY2010
CY2011
2009
89
443
953
571
83
1767
1465
921
1191
1340
806
776
2010
35
442
560
577
127
78
2011
91
492
1161
617
237
564
13049
11746
10599
9679
7514
6751
7760
14816
13211
11520
10870
8854
7557
8774
Augusta
Non-Augusta
Total
Month
2009
2010
2011
Sep
V i s i t e r
$8,000
$6,000
$4,000
$2,000
$0
Bethlehem, Bristol, Brookfield, Hartford, Ridgefield, South Windsor, Wallingford, Westport.
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
$6,707
$6,702
$9,118
$9,030
$7,650
$7,006
$8,438
DE
ME
Bridgeville, Harrington
Albion, Alna, Appleton, Auburn, Augusta, Bangor, Bath, Belfast,
Belgrade, Belgrade Lakes, Boothbay Harbor, Boothbay, Bowdoinham, Brewer, Bridgton, Bristol, Brunswick, Buckfield, Burnham, Buxton, Cambridge, Camden, Chelsea, China, Clinton,
Coopers Mills, Cornville, Cumberland, Deerfield, Dexter, Dresden, Ellsworth, Fairfield, Fairfield, Falmouth, Farmingdale, Farmington, Freeport, Gardiner, Gorham, Gray, Green, Hallowell,
Hancock, Harpswell, Hope, Houlton, Jefferson, Kennebunk,
Millinocket, Monmouth, Orono, Oxford, Rome, Sabattus, S.
Berwick, Waldoboro, Windham, Yarmouth
MD
MA
IL
Chicago
IN
Anderson, Indianapolis, Lafayette
IA
KS
Kansas City, Houlton
MI
Detroit, Perry. Sue St. Marie
MN
St. Paul
MO
OH
Bridgeton, St. Louis
Augusta, Canton, Cleveland
WI
Prescott
AZ
Ellington, Phoenix, Sedona, Tucson
NM
Santa Fe
OK
Edmond
TX
Austin, College Station, Dallas, Denton, Houston, Mercerville, San Antonio, Taylor
CA
Fountain Valley, Fresno, Gilroy, Golden, Las Angeles,
Palo Alto, Placerville, Sacramento, San Diego, San
Francisco, Stockton, Thornton, Toronto, Truckee
CO
Cedaredge, Colorado Springs, Denver, Longmont
ID
No city listed
OR
McMinnville, Portland,
Cumberland, Providence
UT
No city listed
Lunenburg
Phoenix City
Mountain View
WA
Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver
WY
Gillet
Australia
Melbourne
Canada
British Columbia, Carleton Place, Ontario, Chiai, PEI,
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Ottawa, Ontario, Sarnia, Ontario,
St. George, Quebec, St. Martins, NB, Summerside, PEI,
Warren, PEI
China
Xian, China
Europe
Amsterdam, Netherlands, Baveria, Germany, Belfast,
Northern Ireland, Berlin, Deutschland, Berlin, Germany,
Switzerland, Edinburgh, Scotland, Felixton, England,
Holland, Leeds, England, London, England, Manchester, England, New Arctic Circle, Norway, Spain, Stutgart, Germany, Switzerland, Worcester, UK, Yorkshire,
Ireland, Zuerich, Switzerland, Netherlands
Japan
Kyoto, Japan
Maryland, Baltimore, Beckwith, Columbia, Rockville
Acton, Belmont, Boston, Brookline, Carver, Chelmsford, Concord, Dighton, Fall River, Halifax, Halldwell, Harvard, Holyoke,
Lancaster, Leicester, Lowell, Middleboro, Milford, Millbury,
North Andover, Pepperell, Rehoboth, Salem, Walling, Wesley
Exeter, Farmington, Fremont, Hollis, Manchester, New Boston,
Salem, Sanbornton, S. Hampden
NJ
Audobon, Blackwood, Englishtown, Madison, New Jersey New
Jersey, New Milford, New Windsor, Ramsey, Stockton, Trenton,
Warwick, Cape May
NY
Bethpage, Brooklyn, Ithaca, Long Island, New York City,
Queens, Rochester, Syracuse, Westchester County
DC
FL
O r i g i n
No city listed
NH
RI
o f
NE
Coatesville, Danville, Elizabethtown, Hanover, Harrisburg, Kennett Square, Landsdale, Lebanon, Madison, Northumberland
Boca Raton, Bonifay, Curtis Springs, Dayton Beach, Daytona,
Ellenton, Jacksonville, Mars Island, Miami, Naples, North Port,
Sarasota
GA
KY
LA
MS
Atlanta, Gainesville
No city listed
New Orleans
Fraser, Philadelphia
NC
SC
Charlotte, Raleigh
Charlestown, Nags Head
TN
Memphis
VA
Alexandria, Heathsville, Louisa, Norfolk, Springfield
WV
No city listed
Oct
86
P o i n t
CT
PA
S
o
u
t
h
e
a
s
t
12000
# Students/Participants
2 0 1 1
VT
AL
AR
1200
Total
$10,000
Calendar Year
2011 admissions numbers reflect on upturn with the best admissions numbers in 3 years. This can be attributed to the closing of
the State Museum on Sundays & Mondays as well as the new directional signs within the city. AAA membership and passing through
visitation still remain the leading source for visitors. Currently we
honor a $1.00 discount for AAA members only. In the coming year
we plan to expand this discount to include not only AAA members
but also seniors, active military personnel and veterans.
14000
5
Seven Year Admissions Statistics
1400
Non-Augusta
P a g e
As the chart below indicates, Fort Western gets visitors from many
areas & regions. The major point of origin of visitors is Augusta
and Maine and the greater New England area. The southeastern
United States is also a fairly well represented source of visitation.
In lesser numbers are visitors from the midwest, southwest and west
and the least from other countries. Of the international points of
origin Canada provides the most visitors.
2011 Admissions
16000
0
W es t e r n
Inconsistencies in record keeping made it hard to do a seven year statistical analysis of the visitation numbers; however, it was possible
to get good numbers on income revenue for admissions over the last seven years. The graph below reflects the upward trend in
admissions.
2009 - 2011 Admissions
8000
F o r t
Series1
OFW School Visitation by Calendar Year
Augusta
O l d
D is p a t c h
Admissions Revenue
P a g e
M
i
d
w
e
s
t
S
o
u
t
h
w
e
s
W
e
s
t
I
n
t
e
r
n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l