Fort

Flatbush, fort

Midwout and Amersfoort, two Dutch villages on Long Island, were defended by palisades in May 1656, after pressure from director general and council. Unsurprisingly, keeping the defences in a good condition proved to be a difficult task for the two villages. In February 1660, in an attempt to strengthen the defences of the villages on Long Island, director general and council ordered the magistrates to assign a portion to each inhabitant with the instruction to inspect it every fortnight and undertake repairs when required. The center of Midwout was located at the intersection of what now are Flatbush and Church avenues. Amersfoort was located about four kilometres to the south, at the intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Kings Highway. In both cases, the exact whereabouts of remnants of the palisade (if extant) needs to be ascertained.

Sources and literature

Jacobs, J., Dutch Colonial Fortifications in North America 1614-1676 (2015)