Indian Forts of the Mid-17th Century in the Southern New England-New York Coastal Area

According to a recent hypothesis in connection with the emergence of the wampum trade, some 17th-century Indian forts in the southern New England-New York coastal area were built as trading stations rather than for defense or refuge. This proposition has not been fully explored. An examination of the data from the known Indian forts on Long Island and across the Long Island Sound in Connecticut and Rhode Island indicates that the proposition needs review. Only three out of nine forts discussed here appear to qualify as trading stations. These date comparatively later in the second half of the 17th century