AUGUSTA — The city’s Fourth of July observance Tuesday offered glimpses of the original 18th century celebration as Old Fort Western provided the backdrop for hundreds of people marking the nation’s founding.
Nearly 20 people wearing period clothing stood just outside the fort’s barracks Tuesday as they gave Augusta Mayor Mark O’Brien a musket salute before he took the stage to read the Declaration of Independence. The 11 a.m. reading followed a parade that made its way down Water Street and concluded in front of Old Fort Western.
The reading of the Declaration of Independence, along with the city parade and celebration at Old Fort Western, is an annual tradition for the community. The parade was set to happen, rain or shine, and if weather allowed, the city would host fireworks at 9:15 p.m. at Mill Park.
But the rain held off Tuesday morning for the crowd of nearly 300 people that gathered to watch O’Brien read the declaration. They took out their iPhones for photos — a site that would not have been seen in the 18th century — as attendees shouted “Huzzah!” and “Here, here!” as O’Brien spoke, mimicking the dialect of the 1750s era.
Augusta Mayor Mark O’Brien, left, waits Tuesday to read the Declaration of Independence as fort staffers fire a “feu de joie” — or musket salute — during Fourth of July events in downtown Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
After O’Brien finished the reading, the crowd made its way into the Old Fort Western grounds to watch the cannons fire off 13 rounds for the original 13 colonies, as per original order from then-President George Washington. After that, the reenactors took down the British flag and replaced it with an American flag.
The fort itself dates back to even before the original Fourth of July, to 1754, and is the oldest wooden fort still standing in North America.
Linda Novak, the director and coordinator of Old Fort Western, said the Fourth of July is the fort’s busiest day of the year. The fort was “all hands on deck” and offered tours through the building that dates back to the French and Indian War. The fort was built on land used for trading furs and later became a commissioned fort to protect the area from the French in Quebec at the start of the war.
“This is the most people we have seen in a long time,” Novak said, noting that around 150 people usually attend the Old Fort Western events following the parade.
A Kora Shrine motorcycle group performs Tuesday during the Independence Day parade in downtown Augusta. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
The city’s community services assistant, Wendy Somes, said around 35 to 40 floats were featured in the parade, which had a “50th Anniversary of the Augusta Civic Center” theme.
Those who dressed up in the period clothing for Old Fort Western walked through the parade, as did local dance teams, Boy Scout troops, and other local businesses and fire and rescue departments. The parade went on for about an hour and dodged the rain that started after the parade ended.
Linda and Ryan Wu visited Augusta from Acton, Massachusetts, for the holiday weekend and were amazed by the parade and the city’s holiday events. It was their first time in Augusta, though they had been to Maine before. Linda Wu took photos of O’Brien reading the declaration and joked that she “thought he was an actor, not the mayor!”
“The parade was so nice, I had never seen anything like it,” said Linda Wu. Her husband, Ryan Wu, liked the bikes that made their way through the parade, in particular. After the parade ended, they watched the cannons go off at the fort and like others in attendance, jumped as the loud noise went off 13 times.
After the events at Old Fort Western, carnival games and hay rides followed at Mill Park. People are advised to check in with local officials to confirm the status of fireworks with the predicted thundershowers.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
