Fort Sullivan (Eastport, Maine)
Eastport · Maine · War of 1812
History & Significance
The fort sat on a bluff on Moose Island at the mouth of the St. Croix River, marking an important coastal defense for the easternmost United States. The five-acre fort consisted of three batteries, three blockhouses, a store magazine, an artillery storehouse, and an unfinished regent's redoubt.
During peacetime, the post supported the nation's military establishment; Major General Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana was born there in 1822, and Major General George Sears Greene, celebrated for his role at the Battle of Gettysburg, commanded the fort from 1831 until 1835. During the American Civil War, the Army constructed earthwork batteries in the area, and Company C of the Maine Coast Guard mustered at the fort in 1864–1865.
The Army ceased operations in 1873, and the government sold the property in 1877. The officers' barracks building was moved to 74 Washington Street, where it now operates as the Barracks Museum, maintained by the Border Historical Society and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ruins of the old powder magazine still exist off McKinley Street.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- War of 1812 fortification with British occupation history
- Barracks Museum exhibits in a surviving 19th-century building
- Eastport's easternmost U.S. location overlooking the Canadian border
- Managed by Border Historical Society with seasonal summer access
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sullivan_(Maine)
- https://www.maine.gov/mhpc/did-you-know/fort-sullivan-1808-eastport-washington-county
- https://maineanencyclopedia.com/eastport/
- https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/4a83dc89-0a4c-4c94-bf76-b9942b8b5781/
- https://www.mainememory.net/record/104221