Fort Levett

Fort Levett (1894-1948) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort first established in 1894 on Cushing's Island in Cumberland County, Maine. Named in G.O. 43, 4 Apr 1900, after Christopher Levett, who explored Portland Harbor in 1623 and built the first fortified structure in the vicinity. Abandoned in 1948.

Fort Levett, 1905 Hospital, 12 Beds	Fort Levett 1905 Duplex NCO Quarters
Fort Levett 1905 Barracks 114 Men

Endicott Period

Part of the Harbor Defense of Portland, Maine.

Fort Levett Guardhouse, Room for 24 Prisoners & 12 Guards

Construction began on the first two Endicott Period gun batteries in 1898 long before there were any permanent post buildings and long before there was any garrison at the post. Battery Bowdoin and Battery Kendrick were built as one and had the same completion date and acceptance date of 23 Apr 1903. The post and the first two batteries were all named in the same General Order 43, on 4 April 1900. The post was previously known as the Reservation on Cushing Island.

Fort Levett is shown at the end of 1903 with the first three batteries complete and turned over for service and as have all guns and carriages mounted but still without a garrison. Battery Daniels was also completed and accepted for service on 23 Apr 1903 and named in General Order 78 on 25 May 1903. Battery Ferguson was the last Endicott Period battery begun and it was accepted on 22 Jun 1906.

The construction of permanent post buildings was begun in 1904 and all were completed in1905. The post had been designed as a small one company coastal artillery fort and clearly did not have enough permanent housing for the number of troops required to service all of the gun batteries simultaneously. The permanent housing capacity was 5 officers, 5 NCOs, 114 enlisted men, 15 animals and 12 hospital beds. The guardhouse was sized for 24 prisoners and 12 guards.

Fort Levett was an open plan coastal fort with the housing and administrative buildings grouped around a rectangular parade that ran from the southwest to the northeast terminating at Spring Cove. The commanders quarters were centered at the southwest end, flanked by the married officer quarters on the left side and the married NCO quarters on the right. The single enlisted barracks was centered on the right flank and the Admin building and guardhouse were across the parade from the barracks. At the cove end of the parade was the hospital and the QM and Ordinance storehouse and a wharf that ran out into the cove. QM records indicate that by the end of 1910 the post was in caretaker status and operated as a sub post of Fort Williams.

Fort Levett Endicott Period Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Bowdoin	3	12"	Disappearing	1898-1903-1903-1943	$ 190,291
Battery Kendrick	2	10"	Disappearing	1898-1903-1903-1942	$ 118,578
Battery Ferguson	2	6"	Pedestal	1906-1947	$ 58,500
Battery Daniels	2	3"	Masking Parapet	1903-1920	$ 14,994
Source: CDSG

Fort Levett Plan

World War I

On 9 Jun 1915 the Board of Review recommended that an additional 12" long range gun battery be placed at Fort Levett and the Secretary of War subsequently approved that finding. The requirement for the two high-angle carriages was placed in the 1917 ordinance estimates and subsequently approved. On 15 Mar 1917 the plan for constructing the emplacements for the new battery was approved and $236,700 was allotted for the work. General Order 129, 1 Dec 1919, named the battery after Col. Stephen M. Foote, CAC, who died on 30 Oct 1919. Completion of the Battery was reported on 17 Dec 1920 and transfer to the Artillery took place on 26 Jan 1921. The major difference between the new battery and the existing 12" battery with disappearing carriages was the high-angle M1917 carriage which allowed 35 deg elevation of the gun and much longer range (16 miles). The disappearing carriages generally could be elevated only 10 to 15 degrees.

Other changes in armament during the World War I included the 24 Aug 1917 order to dismount the two 10" guns of Battery Kendrick for use abroad but they were ordered remounted before they could be shipped.

After the war the guns of Battery Daniels were ordered removed and the carriages ordered scrapped as a part of the 1920 disarmament program.

There was clearly some expansion of the post housing capacity during World War I. Two temporary barracks can be seen on the 1920/21 post plan in back of Battery Bowdoin.

Fort Levett World War I Battery (edit list)

Battery Click on Battery links below	No.	Caliber	Type Mount	Service Years	Battery Cost	Notes
Battery Foote	2	12"	Long Range Barbette	1917-1920-1921-1948	$ 236,700*	Casemated WWII 1944
Source: CDSG

World War II

Fort Levett 1941 Barracks 66 Man

As the United States approached World War II, Fort Levett was obsolete in it's armament and it's facilities.

Current Status

On Cushing's Island, Cumberland County, Maine. Private property.

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Location: Cushing's Island, Cumberland County, Maine. Maps & Images Lat: 43.6431387 Long: -70.1953252 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 115'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 366-367
• U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Portland, Maine, (HDPB-AN-45), 11 Apr 1945, CDSG
• Coast Defense Study Group, CDSG Press, CDSG Digital Library

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Levett
• Wikipedia - Fort Levett

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