The Fascinating History of Fort Ninigret, Part 2: The Evidence Behind the Mystery

In Part 1 of this series, I looked at one of the biggest questions surrounding Fort Ninigret: Who actually built it?

The answer is more complicated than simply saying the Dutch built a fort in Charlestown.

Subscribe

Historical and archaeological records point to Fort Ninigret as an Indigenous fortified site associated with the Niantic and Narragansett people. The National Park Service describes it as a fortified trading place established by Niantic/Narragansett Indians during the early 17th century.

That does not mean the Dutch connection is unimportant. In fact, it is a major part of the site's history.

The Dutch connection

Dutch traders were active throughout southern New England during the early 1600s. Trade between European settlers and Native American communities brought European goods into the region in exchange for furs and other materials.

There is evidence of that activity at Fort Ninigret.

The Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission's survey of Charlestown identifies archaeological evidence of Dutch trading activity at the site. The National Register documentation also lists the Dutch West India Company in connection with the fort.

But there is an important distinction between European trade at the site and Europeans constructing the fort.

The available evidence does not provide a simple answer that the Dutch built Fort Ninigret themselves.

A place of trade and protection

Fort Ninigret appears to have served more than one purpose.

It was a fortified Indigenous settlement, but it was also connected to trade. That combination helps explain why the site became significant during a period when European and Indigenous communities were increasingly interacting throughout the region.

By 1637, the fort was an established landmark.

During the Pequot War, Connecticut forces under Captain John Mason passed through the area. Historical accounts place Mason at Ninigret's Fort during his march toward Connecticut.

That reference is important because it gives us a glimpse of the fort during a very early period of European settlement in New England.

So, who built it?

Based on the historical record available today, the strongest conclusion is that Fort Ninigret was an Indigenous site associated with the Niantic and Narragansett people, with European traders later becoming part of its history.

The Dutch were clearly connected to the location, but the evidence does not justify reducing the entire story to "the Dutch built the fort."

That uncertainty is actually what makes Fort Ninigret so interesting.

We are looking at a place that existed during a major period of change in southern New England, when Indigenous communities, European traders and colonial powers were beginning to interact in increasingly complicated ways.

Today, Fort Ninigret may look like a relatively quiet historic site in Charlestown.

Its history is anything but quiet.

In Part 3, we will look at what happened to Fort Ninigret after this early period and how the site eventually became part of the Charlestown landscape we know today.