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The area was first explored by members of the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1625 as a trading post. The settlement was located on the Kennebec River at highest tidal eddy. Around that time, it was given the name "Cushnoc" (or "Coussinoc" or "Koussinoc"). The oldest wooden fort in America is located on the Kennebec River in Augusta. The fort was built in 1754 and is called Fort Western.The area was incorporated as part of the town called Hallowell in 1771. In February 1797, the upstream area of Hallowell know as "the Fort" was incorporated as a separate town called Harrington. However, the name was changed to "Augusta" in August of that year.Augusta was officially designated the state capital in 1827. However, the Maine State Legislature continued to meet in Portland until completion of the new capitol building in 1832. Augusta was chartered as a city in 1849. Augusta has been the capital city since 1827, seven years after Maine was admitted to the Union. The Capital Building sits as a centerpiece for this special City. Augusta is the center of employment, commerce and service for Central Maine and is where most of the state and county governmental agencies are located. Most statewide organizations in Maine base their offices in this city, which is considered a central location to hold meetings, conferences and banquets, usually in Augusta's Civic Center which is located directly off I-95.