Fort Gorges, Civil War fortress in Portland Harbor, United States
Fort Gorges is a D-shaped stone fortress built on a small island in Portland Harbor using local granite throughout. The structure contains 56 gun positions arranged on three levels, with powder magazines built directly into the rock foundation.
Construction started in 1858 as part of America's third coastal defense system, built after lessons from the War of 1812 showed the need for stronger harbors. The fort was completed in 1864, but artillery advances had already made its design outdated by the time the work finished.
The fort shows how the United States thought about coastal defense in the mid-1800s and what military life looked like then. Walking through the stone chambers, you can imagine soldiers stationed here to guard the harbor entrance.
Reaching the fort requires a private boat or kayak since it sits on an island with no bridge or causeway. Bring a flashlight and expect cool temperatures inside the stone chambers, which stay damp even in summer months.
The fort never fired a shot in anger throughout its entire existence, making it a peaceful monument to a military that was always preparing for threats that never came. One of the largest Parrott rifles ever mounted at a coastal fort still sits on the second level, a rare survivor from the Civil War era.
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