Colonial Pemaquid, New Harbor, Maine

By Places to go, Places to visit,

Learn about Maine’s early history at dog friendly Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site. Located in New Harbor, Maine, Pemaquid Point has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans, and became an English outpost and fishing station in the 1600s. It was also the site of the early conflicts in the 17th and 18th century between the English, French and Native Americans, all vying for control of this strategic location along the Pemaquid River. Today you will find the partially reconstructed Fort William Henry, as well as an interpretation of a first period house, original stone foundations from the historic village and fort, and an early burial ground. Although inside Fort William Henry, the Fort House and museum do not allow dogs, we recommend your humans taking a look inside each building to learn more about the site’s history through interpretive signs, displays of archeological finds, and diorama of Pemaquid village. Just please obey the rules and do not leave dogs unattended when you do it. There are also interpretive signs at the foundations, but when we last visited in 2019, many of the outdoor signs were worn and difficult to read, but well worth the effort for the information.

Although we lasted visited Pemaquid in 2019, that definitely wasn’t our first time there, nor will it be our last. In fact, it is such a regular stop on our travels that I was surprised to realize I never reviewed it before for our Dog Friendly Places recommendations. For those interested in a glimpse of an early frontier settlement complete with a true pirate tale, we highly recommend a visit to Colonial Pemaquid on your way to the more popular tourist destinations of Camden and Bar Harbor, Maine.

Dogs are welcome to explore the grounds of Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site on-leash. As always, please pick up after your dog. This approximately 24 acre site is owned by the state of Maine, and cared for by the Friends of Colonial Pemaquid. Although events for 2021 have been moved to zoom this year, in the past there have been many interesting living history programs at the site. Parking is available at Colonial Pemaquid Drive, New Harbor, Maine, and there is a nominal entrance fee during the summer season, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day 9:00 AM to Sunset. For more historic sites to explore in Midcoast Maine, please visit our Dog Friendly Places reviews.

This site was used as a seasonal fishing station and trading center as early as 1610 and was the location of a permanent village settled between 1625 and 1629. This is a replica of their early homes.
Archeological evidence, such as this stone foundation, suggests that early homes were 14 feet by 16 feet, single room dwellings with a loft for sleeping.
Learn about the 17th century process of drying or “dunning” fish for transport back to European markets at Colonial Pemaquid.
The first fort on this site was Abraham Shurte’s Fort (1630–1633), a palisaded trading post that was burned down by pirates. The final fort to stand on this site was Fort Frederick, built on the remains of Fort William Henry, and decommissioned in 1759.
Today there are magnificent views from the top of the partially reconstructed Fort William Henry. Originally built in 1692 during King William’s War, Fort William Henry was surrendered in 1696 and destroyed. This reconstruction was built in 1907 as part of the 300th Anniversary of Colonial Pemaquid.
And for a bit of modern history, here’s Chuck Billy visiting Colonial Pemaquid in 2014.

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About the author

Chuck Billy is a Golden Retriever, living in Southern Maine, who likes to share his unique observations on life with his little brother Asa. When not writing his blog, he spends his days being awesome.

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