Fort Gorges in Casco Bay, Portland Maine — HDR Image by kenne
Named after Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Fort Gorges was built 1861-1868 by Ruben Smart and is modeled
after Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. Fort Gorges was planned and constructed as one of three forts
in Portland Harbor in reaction to the threat of foreign naval powers, initially provoked by the War of 1812.
It is a D-shaped, two-story, enclosed fortress, constructed entirely with local granite, and hosted 56 gun
emplacements on the south, east, and west facades. When completed in 1864, Fort Gorges was already
deemed obsolete due to technological advancements in rifled artillery and high-explosive ammunition
developed during the Civil War. Fort Gorges hosted a live-in caretaker after the Civil War, and acted as a
storage facility in both World War I and World War II. Declared surplus property in 1960, the United States
government conveyed Fort Gorges to the city of Portland, which continues to own the property today. — Source: Portlandlandmarks.org
