Fort Gorges

(Portland, Maine)

After the War of 1812, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed the construction of Fort Gorges to support forts Preble and Scammel. They were also concerned with covering the northeastern approaches to the harbor. In 1857, Congress approved the funding, and construction began the next year. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the construction was speeded up. By 1864, the fort was near completion, and 26 guns had been mounted while construction continued. By 1865, work was completed according to the original plan. It was named in honor of Sir Ferninando Gorges, who was a colonial proprietor in Maine. In 1869 a modernization project was started. After numerous changes, Congress ended the funding in 1876. The 3rd level was left unfinished. At the time of the Spanish War, thirty-one guns remained mounted, but these were salvaged shortly thereafter. In 1897, the Army constructed a submarine mine storehouse in the center of the parade ground with a small railroad running from it to a crane at the end of the wharf. In the 1930’s, the Coast Guard installed a navigation aid. It was powered by a generator and protruded through one of the gun embrasures. In the 1940’s, rolls of steel cable for submarine mines, submarine nets or moorings were stored in the fort. In 1946, the General Services Administration declared the fort a surplus. In 1960, Fort Gorges was acquired by the City of Portland as an historic site.

The fort is constructed of granite and brick with iron beams supporting the floors of the officers’ apartments. Apartments were finished with wood lath and plaster, wooden floors, doors, and double-hung windows. Floors and ceilings of the powder magazines were built of wood, with connected nails to avoid sparks.

Five hundred men would have been required to man all the guns. The gun casemates on the first and second levels would have been framed in, and doors, windows and stoves would have been installed to serve as quarters for the enlisted men, but the fort was never permanently garrisoned.

Visitor Information:

Ferry services are not provided to Fort Gorges, but small boats can reach it. Visitors enter the fort at their own risk and are urged to use caution, as there are hazardous areas within the fort. Visitors are warned against entering the powder magazines on the second level, because the floor is missing. It is recommended that the earth-covered powder magazines and gun emplacements on the 3^rd level not be climbed, because there is danger of falling and of causing damage to the sod, which will lead to erosion.