The Haunted Fort

The Hardy Boys #44

by Franklin W. Dixon, Russell H. Tandy

A long-distance telephone call from Chet Morton's uncle summons Frank and Joe Hardy and their staunch pal Chet to a summer art school, located near old Fort Senandaga which is reputed to be inhabited by a ghost. The young detectives' assignment: recover two famous oil paintings stolen from the valuable Prisoner-Painter collection by Jefferson Davenport.

Mr. Davenport, millionaire sponsor of Millwood Art School, reveals that one of the famous Fort Senandaga pictures painted by his artist ancestor, General Jason Davenport, contains a clue to the hiding place of a priceless chain of gold.

Vicious threats and deadly traps beset Frank, Joe, and Chet as they search for clues to the stolen paintings and the gold treasure--a search that is complicated by a stormy feud between a proud Englishman and an equally proud Frenchman over the military history of the ancient fort.

Here is a thrilling mystery-adventure guaranteed to hold the reader in breathless suspense from first page to last.


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For action, mystery and cliff-hanging suspense, read THE HARDY BOYS MYSTERY STORIES® - featuring the thrilling adventures of America's favorite detective duo, Frank and Joe Hardy. Millions of young readers have teamed up with the Hardy Boys, helping them in their quest to bring criminals to justice. Be a part of the fun! Start your collection of original hardcover Hardy Boys® Mysteries today!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Adventure, Middle Grade, Classics

176 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1964

About the author

Franklin W. Dixon is the pen name used by a variety of different authors who were part of a team that wrote The Hardy Boys novels for the Stratemeyer Syndicate (now owned by Simon & Schuster). Dixon was also the writer attributed for the Ted Scott Flying Stories series, published by Grosset & Dunlap.
Canadian author Leslie McFarlane is believed to have written the first sixteen Hardy Boys books, but worked to a detailed plot and character outline for each story. The outlines are believed to have originated with Edward Stratemeyer, with later books outlined by his daughters Edna C. Squier and Harriet Stratemeyer Adams. Edward and Harriet also edited all books in the series through the mid-1960s. Other writers of the original books include MacFarlane's wife Amy, John Button, Andrew E. Svenson, and Adams herself; most of the outlines were done by Adams and Svenson. A number of other writers and editors were recruited to revise the outlines and update the texts in line with a more modern sensibility, starting in the late 1950s.
The principal author for the Ted Scott books was John W. Duffield.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Haunted Fort was the 44th novel in the original Hardy Boys mystery series. It was produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and published by Grosset & Dunlap in 1965. It appeared under the house byline Franklin W. Dixon, of course, and was written by David Grambs, who did a few of the editing/rewriting/updating/simplifying jobs of the earlier books in the series under Harriet Stratemeyer Adams' direction, but this is the only original Hardy novel he produced. The Boys and Chet go to an art camp in New England on Crown Lake at the start of their summer vacation to investigate mysterious goings on at the invitation of Chet's Uncle Jim, who's the chief painting instructor. (I wonder how many uncles Chet had? I'll bet there were a bunch.) There, they meet a variety of suspicious characters and get knocked out a time or two (a common occurrence) and encounter a centuries old mystery from the French & Indian War which they also solve. There are too many characters named for such a short book; they're developed enough to keep straight, and the first time I read it (Nixon was president!) I had to flip back and check to remember just who the named baddie was when he's revealed. Chet takes up painting as a hobby (I wonder how many hobbies Chet had? At least one per book, right?) and wears a beret. (There must've been a law that all artists in the 20th century were required to wear berets. Raspberry not required.) Iola and Callie are present on the first few pages, but after that none of the main support group of family or friends appear. On page one, Iola "dances" off the porch to welcome them and tells them they're just in time for a "homemade hootenanny," and Callie waves a guitar and announces that she "can play two chords." The sexual tension is thick, but Chet calls them away to his bedroom to discuss "murky old mysteries." Iola calls them "sillies," and Callie says they're "meanies," and shortly thereafter a strange black car speeds by and someone throws a papier-mache scalp at them with a note warning them stay away from Crown Lake so, naturally, the game was afoot, and they were off on the chase. It's not a bad story, one of the more enjoyable ones from the 1960s in fact, aside from too many characters, not enough familiar characters for continuity, and a few too many odd happenings. (We didn't need a sea monster as well as a ghost walking across the lake, and the acid in the paint thinner was over the top. But I digress.) Fun, as the back cover proclaims, for "boys from 10 to 14" who like lively adventure."

[Leeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty interesting story I enjoyed reading this one very much.

[Dean Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys as a kid back in the 70s. I was recently thinking about The Haunted Fort and how it was the first book to really make an impression on me. Since I've been re-reading some novels from my high school years, I decided to go a little farther back to see how the Hardy Boys held up 4o years later.

To my surprise it was a page-turner! The story revolves around a deserted (and possibly haunted) fort, a hidden treasure, and art thieves. Nearly every chapter ends with a cliffhanger; either the Hardys are in peril or they uncover a new twist in the plot. As a result I was compelled to keep reading to see what happens next. The author keeps you guessing as to the identity of the criminals, and they aren't revealed until the very end.

One of the unexpected pleasures of reading this book was being able to slip back in time, back when there were no cell phones, no internet, and none of the technology that supposedly makes life better today. It was in this way that I was reminded of my childhood, and the simple carefree life I had. That reminder, just as much as the story itself, made reading The Haunted Fort worthwhile to me.

[Katie O’Reilly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real sausage fest that was about as interesting as watching paint dry. High point was use of the word "hootenanny."

[ForgetMeNot(Katie Cooley) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and a half stars⭐️
I enjoyed this mystery novel, but I thought it was a little bit slow at times. I liked the mystery and the humor was good too!

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's business as usual for this series...which isn't a bad thing.

[Shreyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Haunted Fort' [The Hardy Boys Mystery Stories #44; The Hardy Boys (paperback editions) #3] by Franklin W. Dixon.


Rating: 4.0/5.


Review:
This was probably my fifth or sixth read of this book. The Hardy Boys books are a nostalgic affair. They were one of the first English novels that I read ('The Haunted Fort' being one of the first, while 'The Shore Road Mystery' being the very first) and I devoured these books in my childhood. Had it not been for these books, it would have been difficult for me to cultivate my interest in reading and to later expand my reading preferences to include the fantasy and sci-fi genres. So yeah, that's the main reason why you won't find me giving a rating of fewer than 3.5 stars (out of 5) to these Hardy Boys books.

I loved reading the Hardy Boys originals, Hardy Boys digests, The Hardy Boys Casefiles, and even the Undercover Brothers series. Furthermore, it has been more than a decade since I last read these books (except for the recently released 'Hardy Boys Adventures' series which has been atrocious), and hence I found it interesting that I had forgotten almost everything about this book due to the huge time gap. Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience since reading the book made me feel like it was almost a fresh (first) read. I'm now looking forward to rereading the other Hardy Boys books knowing that I would derive a similar first read experience out of them.

[Rakayle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a really good mystery. I enjoyed it a lot. Been a while.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

My grandson loves all the Hardy Boys mysteries.

[Jayant Saket · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw the outstanding cover of this book,I knew I had to buy this book.The cover itself had a great premise.I ordered one from Amazon and after it arrived,I was very happy and had high hopes that it will be a good entry but it ended up being highly disappointing.After I read the first few chapters,I shut the book close and kept it in my cupboard due to the extreme yawns it brought to me.Yes,I really got sleepy while reading this routine drama(It did had some new elements,though).After a long gap spanning a good number of days,I read it again from the start and successfully completed this entry.The book has a muddled up story that seems unoriginal even though the there were some plot points which were extremely good like clues in paintings or the feud between two gentlemen over the history of the fort.The villains were rough and the tricks they played on our heroes seemed dangerous but they never felt great.Another saving grace for this book comes in the form of its often misjudged protagonist.And, of course,the ghost wasn’t really weak.It was great like on the cover.The setting and descriptions of this addition deserve praise,especially the former,which was feel-able.Frank and Joe really were matured as like in the cover(I must say they were really great on the cover).As for the plot,I wanted to give this one two stars but I ended up giving it three due to other factors.I disliked giving it two as it was one my early ones and the cover had been great(Though not as great as in the 6th book,whose cover is my favourite).An OK book,maybe.I would always recommend them whatsoever my verdict maybe since they are always fine and not all get a positive review because they are not good only in the series.Otherwise,they are always good.They are indeed somewhat better than Nancy Drew .

[David Arko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good but, not as exciting as I hoped. There were many interesting parts, but the book still felt a little dry. I'm not saying I hate the book I'm just saying I've read better. I guess the book was written really well on what would happen in real life, but I guess that's what made me lose interest. Some parts in there could have been better. I thought the writing was difficult, but not to to difficult to misunderstand. Most of the writing was perfectly fine. Then there's strengths about the book. As always the Hardy Boys books are filled with action and suspense which really lifted the book right up at times. however, a weakness of the book is that it didn't apply that much to the title. Honestly I didn't notice that much about the haunted part of the fort. Although I did enjoy the book the series and I shall continue to read the series. Finally, I honestly think you'll enjoy this book since everybody doesn't have the same tatse in reading plus, it's a great book.

[Bearcatgary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hardy Boys along with Chet Morton take a trip to an artist enclave somewhere in New England. They are invited by Chet's uncle, who is an art instructor at the enclave, to investigate mysterious happenings at a nearby fort. As is customary in this series, spine tingling adventure ensues.

Although probably not my favorite Hardy Boys book, this is definitely a good story. It seems the ghost writer had fairly decent knowledge of the French and Indian War as well as various terms used to describe a fort from that era. On the downside, Frank, Joe and Chet were the only characters with major roles in this book. There were no appearances by Biff, Tony, Mr. Hardy or Aunt Gertrude and only very small roles by Iola, Callie and Mrs. Hardy.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I debated giving this book 3 or 4 stars because it's so formularic but decided to go for the higher rating since this Hardy Boys book was better than the others I've read.

Frank and Joe Hardy travel to Crown Lake in New England with their friend Chet to a summer art school where Chet's uncle Jim is an instructor. Someone is stealing famous paintings of the nearby old French fort ruins. The fort itself seems to be haunted but the reader will know that that's because there are rumors of a hidden treasure there that was hidden centuries ago. The perpetrator of the crime was a surprise.

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are the first series that I remember reading. I was still in elementary school, but I remember thinking I was reading more grown up books because these were long (more than 20 pages, lol) and there was more than one book you could read with the same main characters! The innocence of these mysteries and recalling my own innocence just makes me happy. All parents should give their kids Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew when they're young - only good things can come of it.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. Although, I have read better. It was a short book but also a page turner. I would recommend this book to people that like mystery.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the better ones I’ve read recently.

[Dinnu Reads Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's always interesting to see random people driving limousines like it's nothing! 😂 But yeah, easy quick mystery to read, typical Hardy Boys story with action and quick solutions! 😉

[Sylvie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly took this from my sister's shelf to complete my year goal🕶

[Kevin Findley · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better mysteries, but I felt the 'big bad' was telegraphed fairly early. The suspects were few, but it seemed kind of obvious to me. The goal here was to find who was haunting the fort and what they were after. Clues were a little better spread throughout the book, and if the reader paid close enough attention, he (or she) might have solved it before the Hardy Boys. As a sidenote, a minor mystery of who was the final occupant of the fort was cleverly handled. Better than the primary mystery IMHO.

Chet is here, and his penchant for picking up a new hobby directly helped solve the mystery. Chet's hobby nearly always had something to do with the mystery, but here it also revealed a real talent of our portly sidekick and introduced a family member of Chet's. I think this is the only appearance of Uncle Jim, but he was fun to read about.

There were only a minimum number of blows to the head and the brothers getting tied up in this adventure. That is always good, since it means the author took more care in writing than relying on the usual tropes.

A fun tale, and a good introduction to the series for new readers.

Find it! Buy it! Read it!

[Saffron Mavros · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story could have been interesting given the element of a haunted fort, beating drums, and eerie noises! Add to that, a large reclusive art school with students and suspicious sounding faculty, the book had the makings of a great story!

But somehow, the writing style failed to deliver the "wow" factor! The villains were quite obvious from the beginning (a new for the Hardy boy series), which made the story feel stretched out. The underlying mechanisms and machinations were quite clear very early on (it is usually fun to read the revelations at the end). That made it a little slow and unimaginative!

The only interesting component was Chet trying out painting and his experience with it. Somehow, though a small element, it had an appealing rawness to it!

[Rex Libris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chet's uncle runs and art school near an old fort used during the French-Indian war in colonial times. There is allegedly a treasure hidden in said forts, and the clue to finding it is in pictures of the fort that were painted by a Confederate General once held captive there. Many of these pictures are in possession of the art school, and someone keeps trying to steal them.

And the fort is haunted too.

Chet recruits the brothers to help his uncle solve the attempted thefts. Along the way the boys investigate the haunting and the rumors of treasure.

They boys had it easy in the previous book and did not get any KO's. There good fortunate runs out and both Frank and Joe get a coldcock in this book.

So the count is now 54.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reread for me, The Haunted Fort was probably my favorite of the series when I was a kid. Not having read it for more than 40 years, and having recently reread several other Hardy books, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm not sure why I was so impressed with this one as a kid. Not a whole lot happens, very little real sleuthing, and as usual, there are way too many implausible coincidences and some things that simply defy logic. Even the "haunted" part of the title is a little misleading, as--if I recall correctly--the story includes just one brief sighting of a supposed ghost. Still, I liked it more than most of the Hardy Boys books that I've recently reread. I think what I mostly liked were the setting, the scenes in the old fort, and the tunnel action near the end.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frank, Joe and Chet are on an adventure at an artists' retreat where Chet's uncle teaches. Paintings are being stolen.There's an old fort nearby that is reportedly haunted too. Pictures of the fort made by a general when he was held prisoner at the fort might hold a secret clue to a lost treasure. People are trying to stop the boys from finding the clue before they do. The boys want to stop whoever is stealing the paintings. Not knowing who might be involved in the thefts the boys have a lot of suspects. They seem to be thwarted at every turn, almost as if the thieves know their plans. Chet, who always loves a new hobby is excited to start painting while working on this mystery.

[Truly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tertimbun di rak, beli saat bazar beberapa puluh purnama lalu.

Kedua bersaudara Hardy, Frank dan Jo mendapat tugas dari paman Morton yang bertugas sebagai instruktur di sekolah seni musim panas di New England. Di dekat sekolah tersebut terdapat Benteng Senandaga yang konon berhantu dan menyimpan harta karun.

Tugas mereka adalah menemukan kembali sebuah karya seni berupa dua buah lukisan yang dicuri. Salah satu lukisan yang hilang merupakan lukisan Benteng Senandaga yang dianggap menyimpan kunci tempat harta karun disimpan.

Harta karun memang selalu menjadi incaran banyak pihak hingga nekat berbuat hal-hal yang menakutkan.

[Witikko Devlin]

The name of my book is The Haunted Fort by Franklin W Dixon.The lexile level is 795. The Haunted Fort is about Frank and Joe Hardy trying to find a treasure and find who keeps trespassing on the fort land area.


The main theme of my book is don't die because they almsost died like a lot it kinda important cuz they cant die


I think the book was a good book I enjoyed reading it. I don't the book was confusing
It wasn't hard to read i didn't have a favorite part i thought the whole book was good and the ending was ok.

[Preston · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book recommendation paragraph

Have you ever been invited to a mystery about a special case? in the book the hunted fort By Franklin W. Dixon, Joe and Frank Hardy got invited to a really big mystery. In this is when Chet said, “do you think Gilmore is interested in that gold chain”. so, he is basically asking if Gilmore wanted that gold chain. he reasons I recommend this book is because if you like mystery than you would love this book.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Haunted Fort was a great book with an intense story plot. The book starts out with mystery and confusion for both the characters and the reader. Then, the suspense rises and coincidences pile up creating a thick plot with different occurrences that don’t seem to relate. It then suspenses the reader with a discovery, shock, and a truck load of action. This book can be read for younger readers and people who enjoy suspense.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

An artist colony for teens located near a fort last used during the French and Indian War, is the setting of this adventure. Who is stealing paintings? Is there a ghost haunting the fort? Can the Hardy boys, Chet and his Uncle, solve the numerous mysteries in the fun adventure. Guess you'll have to read it to find out!

[Finnegan Healey]

I thought the book was really fun. I enjoyed all the mysteries that happened throughout the story. The thieves in the story were one of the biggest and most interesting mysteries to me and I had fun reading the story of what they were doing. I found the ghost that appears in the lake a bit creepy and interesting. This book had fun, interesting, and spooky events all together in one book!

[Phoebe Hinkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out kinda promising but ended up pretty meh. The only thing it really had going for it was that for most of the book you didn't know who the villain was (though I started suspecting certain persons several chapters before they were revealed 😎).

And Jefferson Davenport is a great - if mildly eccentric - character. Gotta love those fine, old-school Southern gentlemen! 😇