Augusta in Kennebec County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)

Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc

Augusta, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets® —

Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

1. Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

An endless quest for riches brought Europeans to the Kennebec River by 1607 and to Augusta by 1625. In 1628, the Plymouth (Massachusetts) Colony constructed Cushnoc Trading Post on the Kennebec riverbank at the head of navigation, and active trade began with the Abenaki people in the area. Wealth gained from central Maine's fur-bearing animals helped the Colony pay off debt to their English sponsors. By 1661, Cushnoc was no longer profitable, so the post and patent granting trading rights were sold to four Boston merchants who continued sporadic trade for fourteen years. Continued English encroachment and Abenaki efforts to preserve their way of life led to increased conflict on the Maine frontier—conflict that would last for over 80 years.

C'est la poursuite insatiable de richesse qui mena les Européens au fleuve Kennebec en 1607 et à Augusta en 1625. En 1628, la colonie de Plymouth (Massachusetts) construisit le comptoir commercial de Cushnoc sur la berge du Kennebec à la limite de la navigation et commenca un commerce florissant avec la population Abénaki de la région. La richesse acquise

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par le commerce de la fourrure au centre du Maine permit à la Colonie de s'acquitter de ses dettes envers ses promoteurs anglais. En 1661, Cushnoc n'était plus profitable, alors le magasin et la licence commerciale furent vendus à quatre marchands de Boston qui y firent un commerce sproadique pendant quartorze ans. L'empiètement continu des Anglais sur les Abénakis et les efforts de ces derniers pour préserver leur mode de vie occasionnaient de nombreux conflits à la frontière du Maine - des conflits qui durèrent plus de 80 ans.

Erected by The Museum in the Streets®. (Marker Number 1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Industry & Commerce • Native Americans. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets®: Augusta, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1607.

Location. 44° 18.925′ N, 69° 46.286′ W. Marker is in Augusta, Maine, in Kennebec County. Marker can be reached from Cony Street. Marker is on the Old Fort Western grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16 Cony St, Augusta ME 04330, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. 1775 Quebec Expedition (here, next to this marker); Cushnoc Trading Post (a few steps from this marker); Gunshots Reverberate on the Kennebec / Des coups de fusil résonnent sur le fleuve Kennebec

Illustration on Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

2. Illustration on Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Augusta, Maine (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Birds and Fish of the Kennebec (about 400 feet away); Old Fort Western / Le vieux Fort Western (about 400 feet away); First Kennebec Bridge / Le premier pont du Kennebec (about 400 feet away); Sousa the nonpariel / L'incomparable Souza (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Augusta.

Also see . . . The Museum in the Streets Tour Map, Augusta, Maine. (Submitted on November 30, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)

Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., July 30, 2017

3. Cushnoc Trading Post / Le Comptoir Commercial De Cushnoc Marker

Looking north toward Old Fort Western and the brick Old City Hall beyond.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 30, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 313 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 1, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.