Maine Stories

Maine is home to some of the northeast's best preserved military fortifications. Explore wooden, granite and earthen forts dating to the mid-1700s with lookouts, underground passageways and weaponry on display.

Fort Point State Park is the site of Fort Pownall, built in 1759 to protect the area against French enemies. Visitors can see the remnants of the 240-foot long, eight-foot deep ditch that surrounded a two-story blockhouse with square flankers on each corner. The park overlooks Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the Penobscot River in Stockton Springs.

Thousands of visitors to Fort Popham and its adjacent beach pass by Fort Baldwin, but only a fraction have explored the much larger fort on the hill overlooking Atkins Bay. At Fort Baldwin visitors can explore the passageways and rooms of three concrete batteries built into the hillside, and stand where large pedestal and disappearing guns were mounted during both World Wars. Climb the tower used to spot enemy boats and continue on the trail beyond the tower for a quiet walk in the woods.

Fort Kent State Historic Site was the northern post during the 1839 Aroostook War - a boundary dispute between New Brunswick and what is now northern Maine. The 1830s two-story, log built blockhouse is a National Historic landmark with original walls and a small museum inside displaying documents and artifacts from the land dispute and local culture and history.