Fort Gorges (Portland, Maine)
Portland · Maine · Civil War
History & Significance
Following the War of 1812, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed a fort on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay to support existing defenses alongside Fort Scammel, built on nearby House Island in 1808. Congress did not fund construction until 1857; walls began in 1858, and work accelerated after the Civil War erupted in 1861.
Colonel Reuben Staples Smart designed the D-shaped fortress, while Thomas Lincoln Casey, later Chief of Engineers, directed construction. The granite structure mirrored Fort Sumter in South Carolina but was built of stone instead of brick.
Completed in 1865 as the war ended, modern explosives had already made the fort obsolete. A modernization effort begun in 1869 ended when Congress cut funding in 1876 with the third level incomplete; the fort's proposed armament consisted of thirty-four 10-inch Rodman guns in casemates.
The fort's final military use was during World War II, when it stored submarine mines. Transferred to Portland in 1960, it was placed on the National Register in 1973.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Granite Civil War-era fort on island ledge in Casco Bay
- Intact Third System coastal defense architecture never used in combat
- Views of Portland harbor and New England coast
- Historic fortification rendered obsolete by advancing military technology
- Accessible only by private boat or water taxi
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Gorges
- https://maineanencyclopedia.com/fort-gorges/
- https://www.portlandlandmarks.org/fort-gorges
- https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/fort-gorges
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=55627