Fort Williams (1)
Fort Williams (1) (1899-1963) - An Endicott Period Coastal Fort first established in 1899 on the site of a previous fortification known as the Battery at Portland Head. Located on Portland Head, Cumberland County, Maine. Named Fort Williams in G.O. 71, 13 Apr 1899, after Bvt. Major General Seth Williams, Assistant Adjutant General of the Union Army of the Potomac during the U.S. Civil War. Abandoned in 1963.
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Endicott Period (1890-1910)
Part of the Harbor Defense of Portland, Maine.
Land acquisition for the military reservation took place between 1872 and 1903 resulting in a military post totaling 90.45 acres. Construction began on 1 Jun 1873 at Portland Head on a battery known as the Battery at Portland Head.
Endicott Period gun battery construction on Fort Williams began in 1893 on Battery DeHart and continued until the last of the six batteries was accepted for service in 1906. Four of the batteries used disappearing carriages to hide the guns after firing while two used fixed pedestal mounts.
Post construction began in 1898 on what was initially a small two company coastal artillery post. Four sets of brick married officer quarters, two brick enlisted barracks, three sets of brick NCO quarters, a hospital, and a post exchange were among the buildings constructed for the first first phase (1898-1904). A second building phase occurred between 1909 and 1911, it expanded the post to house seven companies of coast artillery and a band. Two new brick enlisted barracks were added, one of which was a double barracks. A band barracks had been added in 1906. Three sets of NCO quarters and five sets of officer quarters were added along with an admin building and bachelor officers quarters. By the end of 1911, the second building phase was complete.
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Blair | 2 | 12" | Disappearing | 1901-1903-1903-1943 | $ 126,845 | |
| Battery Sullivan | 3 | 10" | Disappearing | 1894-1898-1898-1932 | $ 107,063 | Guns Removed 1918 Guns Replaced 1919 |
| Battery DeHart | 2 | 10" | Disappearing | 1893-1898-1898-1942 | $ 106,757 | Guns Dismounted 1918 Guns Remounted 1918 |
| Battery Garesche | 2 | 6" | Disappearing | 1904-1906-1906-1917 | $ 48,991 | One gun to France |
| Battery Hobart | 1 | 6" | Armstrong | 1898-1898-1900-1913 | $ 6,545 | Gun & Carriage to Hawaii |
| Battery Keyes | 2 | 3" | Pedestal | 1903-1905-1906-1945 | $ 16,893 | |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
World War I (1917-1918)
Early in World War I the guns from Battery Garesche, Battery DeHart and Battery Sullivan had been listed for service abroad at the front in France. Battery Sullivan's guns were removed and shipped off in 1918 but they were replaced in 1919. Battery DeHart's guns were dismounted but were ordered remounted before they could be shipped. Battery Garesches guns were removed, shipped off and not returned but only one of the guns actually made it to France.
World War II (1941-1945)
| Battery Click on Battery links below |
No. | Caliber | Type Mount | Service Years | Battery Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery AMTB 961 | 2 2 |
90mm 90mm |
AMTB Fixed Mobile |
1943-1943-1943-1946 | $ 10,921 | |
| Source: CDSG | ||||||
Cold War (1947-1991)
Current Status
Part of Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland County, Maine.
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Location: Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, Cumberland County, Maine. Maps & Images Lat: 43.6225834 Long: -70.2106029 |
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 374
- U.S.Army, Supplement to the Harbor Defense Project of Portland, Maine, (HDPB-AN-45), 11 Apr 1945, CDSG
Links:
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Fort Williams (1) Picture Gallery
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