Fort Hughes (also known as the

Planters Planters Nut & Chocolate Company is an American snack food company now owned by Hormel Foods. Planters is best known for its processed nuts and for the Mr. Peanut icon that symbolizes them. Mr. Peanut was created by grade schooler Antonio Gent ...

Barracks) was a fortification that was built at present-day

Starr's Point, Nova Scotia Starrs Point is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County two miles (3 km) northeast of Port Williams. Starrs Point faces the Minas Basin to the east and separates the mouths of the Cornwallis River and t ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

to protect against raids by American privateers. The fortification was named after the Governor of Nova Scotia

Sir Richard Hughes, 2nd Baronet Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, 2nd Baronet ( – 5 January 1812) was a Royal Navy officer. Naval career Hughes was probably born in London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest ...

who had the fortification built on a piece of land belonging to Samuel Starr, a Planter from

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

and militia officer. Three months after a privateer raid on the Cornwallis river, the Barracks was built in 1778 beside the militia parade ground at Starr's Point. 56 troops were stationed there. The King's Orange Rangers were stationed at the fortification during the Revolution. The Rangers were sent to the area, in part, to ensure that the Planters remained loyal to the King. In the spring of 1781, Major

Samuel Bayard Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Vetch Bayard (born 1757, New York – d. 28 May 1832 Wilmot, Nova Scotia) was a Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalist military officer in the American Revolution who served in the King's Orange Rangers (KOR). He is t ...

led the King's Orange Rangers from Halifax to Fort Hughes to overawe local Planters who were planning to erect a

Liberty Pole A liberty pole is a wooden pole, or sometimes spear or lance, surmounted by a "cap of liberty", mostly of the Phrygian cap. The symbol originated in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of the Roman dictator Julius Caesar by a group of Rom ...

and thereby break with the King. There they fixed bayonets and "with bright weapons glittering, colours flying and drums beating, they marched up Church Street and back to Town Plot, where the barracks stood." This show of force brought the locals back in line. Bayard took an interest in the

Annapolis Valley The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a Trough (geology), trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the B ...

, and after the war he took up a grant of 4,730 acres at

Wilmot Mountain Wilmot Mountain is a ski area in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Kenosha County, Wisconsin. It is located in the community of Wilmot, Wisconsin, Wilmot and lies in both the Town of Randall, Wisconsin, Randall and the village of Salem Lakes, Wiscon ...

. Fort Hughes was one of a chain of fortifications that created a courier route that started from Citadel Hill at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, to

Fort Edward (Nova Scotia) Fort Edward is a National Historic Site of Canada in Windsor, Nova Scotia, (formerly known as Pisiguit) and was built during Father Le Loutre's War (1749-1755). The British built the fort to help prevent the Acadian Exodus from the region. The ...

, then Fort Hughes,

Fort Anne Fort Anne is a historic fort protecting the harbour of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. It was built by Scottish settlers in August 1629 as Charles Fort. For the first 120 years of the fort's service period, the settlement of Port Royal, later A ...

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal is a town in and the county seat of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. The community, known as Port Royal before 1710, is recognised as having one of the longest histories in North America, preceding the settlements at Plym ...

and then to

Fort Howe Fort Howe (1777 — present historic site) was a British fort built in Saint John, New Brunswick during the American Revolution. It was erected shortly after the American siege in 1777 to protect the city from further American raids. The 18th ...

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John () is a port#seaport, seaport city located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. It is Canada's oldest Municipal corporation, incorporated city, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign ...

, and then onward to Quebec. LoyalistMonumentMiddletonNovaScotia

The building survives today as one of the oldest in Nova Scotia. In 2016, archeologist Arron Taylor found rich artifacts on the property from the American Revolution time period. Jack Merriott, the customs broker in Port Williams, lived here between 1928 and 1988, when he was 100 years old, until it became an Inn.

References

{{coord, 45.10460, -64.38348, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CA-NS, display=title Nova Scotia in the American Revolution Military forts in Nova Scotia American Revolutionary War forts

See also

References