Fort Foster, Coastal defense fort in Kittery, York County, United States
Fort Foster is a coastal defense installation in Kittery overlooking Portsmouth Harbor where the Salmon Falls River meets the sea, built with gun emplacements, ammunition magazines, and observation stations. The site spreads across raised terrain with connected pathways that guide visitors past multiple fortified positions and structures.
The fort was built in the early 1900s to defend the coast and the nearby Portsmouth Naval Shipyard against threats. During World War II it became a critical monitoring and defense point for tracking maritime activity and protecting the region.
The fort grounds host regular guided tours where visitors learn about military architecture, coastal defense systems, and the daily operations of soldiers stationed there.
The site is accessible via paved pathways and information panels explain the main structures you will see. Wear sturdy shoes as the ground is uneven in places, and allow time to explore the different levels of the fort.
The site preserves original gun positions and underground bunkers from the early 1900s that reveal how engineers designed coastal fortifications of that era. Walking through these structures gives a tangible sense of how soldiers protected the harbor entrance.
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