O Forte da Barra do Rio Cunhaú
Autor: INFORMAÇÃO | Publicado: 2016-01-17T03:33:00-08:00

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Os franceses também
exploraram
o território de Canguaretama, mais precisamente o litoral entre Barra do Cunhaú
e Baía Formosa. Eles
comercializaram madeiras e peles com os nativos locais.
Para isso, tentavam manter um bom relacionamento com os indígenas da região. 



Além destes, por
volta 1550[1],
alguns marinheiros da cidade de Dunquerque estiveram nessa costa e encalharam
na foz do rio Cunhaú. À espera de resgate, construíram um abrigo com pedras que encontraram nas proximidades.
Essa construção se transformou no Forte da Barra, que foi a primeira obra arquitetônica dos europeus em solo
potiguar.



Aproveitado
por portugueses e holandeses, esse reduto militar possuía forma quadrangular
dupla, com muralhas que chegavam a três metros de altura e ficava numa encosta.
No local havia dez canhões e dois arcabuzes de forquilha num fosso circundado
de paliçada e
serviu
de defesa para o engenho Cunhaú, a dezoito quilômetros de distância.



Durante
a invasão holandesa, o forte foi atacado duas vezes, em 1634. A primeira tentativa em
abril e a segunda, em outubro, que ocasionou
sua tomada. Depois de muita luta, os holandeses saquearam o local, mas a
embarcação naufragou na saída da barra. 



O mercenário inglês Cuthbert Pudsey, em suas
memórias, chama este forte de Maranhão
em provável alusão ao dono do engenho Cunhaú e também governador da capitania, Antônio de
Albuquerque Maranhão. O
tempo quase apagou
os vestígios do Forte
da Barra, que ficava
à margem esquerda da embocadura do rio Cunhaú, próximo a uma falésia, onde foram construídas as casas de veraneio da família Villarim e Calafange.










[1] Essa é uma data
aproximada baseada em Augusto
Fausto de Sousa. Já Olavo de
Medeiros Filho aponta o ano de 1634.

Foto ilustrativa.