Fort Baldwin (1)
Fort Baldwin (1) (1905-1928) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort first established in 1905 on Sabino Head, Sagadahoc County, Maine. Named Fort Baldwin in G.O. 20, 25 Jan 1906, after Colonel Jeduthan Baldwin, Engineers and Artillery Artificer Regiment, Continental Army, who died 4 Jun 1788. Abandoned in 1928.
Endicott Period (1890-1910)
Part of the Harbor Defense of the Kennebec River, Maine.
Construction of the three Endicott Period gun batteries began in 1905 and was completed in 1908 with all three batteries being accepted for service on 13 Nov 1908. There was no post construction initially and the existing house on the property was used by the caretaker Ordnance Sergeant. The 31 Dec 1910 RCB shows the post not garrisoned, without an electric plant and in the hands of an Ordnance Sergeant. The 31 Dec 1916 RCB shows no change in that status.
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Hardman | 1 | 6" | Disappearing | 1905-1908-1908-1917 | $ 33,000 | Gun to France |
| Battery Hawley | 2 | 6" | Pedestal | 1905-1908-1908-1917 1919-1924 |
$ 45,550 | Guns dismounted and remounted |
| Battery Cogan | 2 | 3" | Pedestal | 1908-1924 | $ 20,500 | |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
World War I (1917-1918)
After the start of World War I, eight temporary buildings were constructed in the small space available on the Fort Baldwin reservation. These buildings included an administration building, a small hospital, a double barracks, a bakery, a double mess hall and a lavatory. All of these buildings were of the temporary WWI construction, frame buildings with tar paper covering for the sides and roofs. Seven of the buildings were completed in December 1917 and the eighth building, a guard house, was completed in 1918. A 24 Sep 1918 inspection report painted a bleak picture of the post and indicated that if there was any fire the "entire set of buildings would probably burn". Two companies of coastal artillery (up to 200 men) garrisoned Fort Baldwin and Fort Popham during the war, including men from the 13th and 29th Coast Artillery.
The barracks, mess hall, bakery, lavatory were reported salvaged 24 Sep 1919 while the original house and the hospital were being used to house up to a 30 man detachment as late as 1922. The post was abandoned and turned over to the State of Maine in 1924.
World War II (1941-1945)
In 1942 the War Department leased back 38 acres of old Fort Baldwin and placed a concrete, five story, fire control tower and a battery of four, 155mm panama mount mobile guns on the old post. The five story concrete fire control station was one of three fire control stations for the 16" guns of Battery Steele (2) on Peak's Island Military Reservation. The battery of 155mm mobile guns was an emergency measure until the newer batteries could be completed and by 1945 it was no longer in place.
Current Status
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Location: Sabino Head, Sagadahoc County, Maine. Maps & Images Lat: 43.753086 Long: -69.788761 |
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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 358
- U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Portland, Maine, (HDPB-AN-45), 11 Apr 1945, CDSG
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