Fort George (Castine, Maine) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Fort George
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Fort George - British fort built to defend their colony of New Ireland
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | Wadsworth St. off Battle Ave., Castine, Maine |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built | 1779 |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000007 |
| Added to NRHP | December 30, 1969 |
Fort George was a strong fort built by the British in 1779 during the American Revolutionary War. It was located in Castine, Maine, on a high spot overlooking the water. The British built this fort as part of their plan to create a new colony called New Ireland.
Fort George was very important during the Penobscot Expedition in 1779. This was a big effort by Massachusetts to take Castine back from the British, but it failed badly. The British also used Fort George again during the War of 1812. Today, only the earthworks, which are like big dirt walls, remain. They are part of a park that you can visit.
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What Fort George Looked Like
Fort George was shaped like a rough square. Each side was about 200 feet (61 m) long. At each corner, there were parts that stuck out, called bastions. These bastions helped soldiers defend the fort from different angles.
The dirt walls of the fort were about 10 feet (3.0 m) high. One part, the eastern bastion, was even taller, about 20 feet (6.1 m) high. In the past, the fort also had a tall fence made of logs called a palisade. There was also a ditch, or moat, around it, and a main gate. These parts are not there anymore.
The British built Fort George along with other defenses in 1779. They even dug a canal across the narrow piece of land that connected the Bagaduce Peninsula to the mainland. This made it harder for enemies to attack.
Why Castine Was Important
Castine is located in a very important spot near the top of Penobscot Bay. Because of its location, many groups fought over it between the 1600s and 1800s.
In June 1779, a British force led by General Francis McLean arrived in Castine. They took control of the town and started building Fort George and other defenses. Their goal was to create the new colony of New Ireland.
Massachusetts, which Maine was a part of at the time, decided to fight back. They gathered a large group of soldiers and ships for an operation called the Penobscot Expedition. This was a big attempt to remove the British in July and August of 1779, but it ended in a terrible defeat for the Americans.
Life at the Fort
After the British built Fort George, a general named Campbell was in charge. There were about 30 houses nearby. The British brought in "prizes" to the fort. These were ships and their cargo that they had captured from the enemy. They also traded with other British-controlled areas like Halifax and New York.
People who were loyal to the British, called Loyalists, came to live near the fort. One Loyalist guide helped a British group. Later, he was captured by American forces and faced serious consequences. In response, a group of 25 Loyalists captured two American officers, Brigadier General Peleg Wadsworth and Major Benjamin Burton. They were held prisoner at Fort George. However, Wadsworth and Burton managed to escape on June 15, 1781, by cutting a hole in the roof of their jail.
The British stayed at Fort George until 1784. The United States did not use the fort again until after the War of 1812.
Fort George in the War of 1812
The British came back to Castine during the War of 1812. They stayed from September 1814 to April 1815. Again, they tried to establish the New Ireland colony.
During this time, they rebuilt Fort George. They also renamed a captured American fort, Fort Madison, to Fort Castine. They built several smaller forts too, like Forts Furieuse, Gosselin, Griffith, and Sherbrooke. They also fixed up the canal defense line on the peninsula.
After the war ended, the British left. The Americans used the fort for a short time, but then it was abandoned and taken apart in 1819.
Fort George Today
The state of Maine bought the land where Fort George once stood in 1940. Twenty years later, money was provided to rebuild a magazine, which is a place where gunpowder and ammunition are stored. Other improvements were also made.
Today, the site of Fort George is a park that covers about 7 acres (2.8 ha). The state owns the park, and the town helps maintain it. In 1969, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's recognized as an important historical place.
Fort George is also the setting for a book called The Fort by Bernard Cornwell. This book, published in 2010, is about the Penobscot Expedition.
Images for kids
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Ruined stone structure in a bastion of Fort George, possibly a magazine reconstructed in the 1960s
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Map of Fort George
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Britain defending New Ireland from the Penobscot Expedition by Dominic Serres
