AUGUSTA — This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Fort Western Museum. As part of the celebration, Augusta’s Fourth of July parade is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. at the State Capitol Parking lot and proceed down Capitol Street, turning left onto State Street, through Memorial Circle down Water Street, and end at Old Fort Western.
The theme this year is “The Year of the Fort: Celebrating the Gannett Legacy.” The Grand Marshall will be Genie Gannett, great-granddaughter of William Howard Gannett
and granddaughter of Guy Patterson Gannett.
At noon, Mayor Mark O’Brien will take the stage outside the fort’s palisade to read the Declaration of Independence. The original Declaration was read at the fort in 1789. Following the reading, there will be Independence Day Cake and lemonade toasts to the future of the Fort Western Museum. A cannonade of 13 volleys will then be made representing the 13 original colonies.
The Darling’s Ice Cream Truck will be parked outside the fort from 1 to 3 p.m. At 9 p.m. there will be dual fireworks from the Eastside Boat Landing and Mill Park.
Tours will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the fort’s normal admission rates apply. The mayor’s reading and the cannonade are free.
For more information and to see the 2022 days and hours of operation and fee schedule, visit oldfortwestern.org, call 207-626-2385, or find the fort on Facebook.
In 1920, the city of Augusta took ownership of the Fort Garrison, which was a tenement at the time, and gave it to Guy Patterson Gannett and William Howard Gannett for renovation.
The Gannetts were direct descendants of Capt. James Howard, who commanded the French and Indian War fort from 1754, when it was built, until 1767. The Gannetts renovated the old garrison building and built two blockhouses, and a stockade fence before returning the newly renovated building to Augusta in 1922, according to a news release from the fort.
The Fort Western Museum opened its doors on July 4, 1922. More than 166 years from 1754 until 1920, the fort played an integral role in the founding of Augusta. For the last 100 years, the Fort Western Museum has preserved and protected this national Historic Landmark as well as provided an educational experience to teach the public about its importance in Augusta’s, Maine’s, and New England’s history.
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