A half-century of conflict. France and England in North America. Part ...

1745, 1746.] NORTHFIELD. 231the present town of Heath, and was called FortShirley; another, named Fort Pelham, was in thepresent town of Rowe; while the third. Fort Massachusetts,was farther westward, in what is now thetown of Adams, then known as East Hoosac. Twohundred men from the militia were taken into pay tohold these posts and patrol the intervening forests.Other defensive works were made here and there,sometimes by the votes of town meetings, and sometimesby individuals, at their own cost.These worksconsisted of a fence of palisades enclosing a farmhouse,or sometimes of a blockhouse of timber orheavy planks.Thus, at Northfield, Deacon EbenezerAlexander, a veteran of sixty who had served atLouisbourg,built a "mount," or blockhouse, on theknoll behind his house, and carried a stockade fromit to enclose the dwelling, shed, and barn, thewholeat the cost of thirty-six pounds, one shilling, andsixpence, in Massachusetts currency,^ which thetown repaid him, his fortifications being of publicutility as a place of refuge for families in case ofattack. Northfield was a place notoriously dangerous,and military methods were in vogue there inseason and out of season. Thus, by a vote of thetown, the people were called to the Sunday sermonby beat ofdrum, and Eleazer Holton was elected tosound the call in consideration of one pound and ten1 Temple and Sheldon, History of Northfield, 237, give the itemsfrom the original account. This is one of the best of the innumerabletown histories of New England.