Huguenot Fort
Encyclopedia
Huguenot Fort is a historic fortification
site on Fort Hill Road in Oxford, Massachusetts
.
The original fort was built in 1694 by Huguenots, Protestant immigrants who were fleeing state church
persecution in France. Oxford was originally settled by Huguenots in two waves, the original settlement having been abandoned after four residents (John Johnson and his three children, Peter, Andrew and Mary) were killed in a violent confrontation with local Native Americans
. This event, the Johnson Massacre, is commemorated near the center of town. The remains of the Huguenots' Fort (built in 1686-1694) to protect from Indian attack still exist off of Huguenot Road commemorated by a nineteenth century monument. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
site on Fort Hill Road in Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford, Massachusetts
Oxford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,709 at the 2010 census.For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Oxford, please see the article Oxford , Massachusetts.-History:...
.
The original fort was built in 1694 by Huguenots, Protestant immigrants who were fleeing state church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
persecution in France. Oxford was originally settled by Huguenots in two waves, the original settlement having been abandoned after four residents (John Johnson and his three children, Peter, Andrew and Mary) were killed in a violent confrontation with local Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. This event, the Johnson Massacre, is commemorated near the center of town. The remains of the Huguenots' Fort (built in 1686-1694) to protect from Indian attack still exist off of Huguenot Road commemorated by a nineteenth century monument. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.