Fort Williams (Maine)

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Coordinates: 43°37′24″N 70°12′40″W / 43.62333°N 70.21111°W / 43.62333; -70.21111
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the coastal fort in Maine. For other locations, see Fort Williams (disambiguation).

Fort Williams
Part of Harbor Defenses of Portland
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
10-inch disappearing gun at Fort Casey, Washington state, similar to those at Fort Williams.
Fort Williams is located in Maine
Fort Williams
Fort Williams
Location in Maine
Fort Williams is located in the United States
Fort Williams
Fort Williams
Fort Williams (the United States)
Coordinates43°37′24″N 70°12′40″W / 43.62333°N 70.21111°W / 43.62333; -70.21111
TypeCoastal Defense
Site information
OwnerTown of Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Controlled byTown of Cape Elizabeth
Open to
the public		yes
Site history
Built1898
Built byUnited States Army
In use1898-1962
Battles/wars

Fort Williams is a former

anchorage 1904–1950. After its closure, it was redeveloped into Fort Williams Park
.

History

Endicott Period

Entrance to Fort Williams, circa 1907
Children look on as a heavy gun is moved to Fort Williams via South Portland's trolley tracks.
Battery Blair 12-inch disappearing gun emplacement in 2016 with Portland Head Light

A 14-acre purchase near Portland Head Light in 1872 served to establish a sub-post to Fort Preble located at Spring Point. This fortification became known as Fort Williams on 13 April 1899, by order of Army Headquarters (General Order No. 17, Headquarters of the Army, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, D.C.). It was named for Brevet Major General Seth Williams. By 1903, the fort had grown to 90.45 acres.[1]

The Board of Fortifications, often called the Endicott Board, recommended a comprehensive program of new fortifications in 1885. Fort Williams was one of the results. It first test-fired its guns in 1898, shortly before the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, and was complete by 1906.

As built, the fort contained three batteries: Battery Sullivan (two

civil defense, is near Battery Hobart. Searchlights were also mounted at some of these batteries; the counterweight for a disappearing searchlight tower (it "disappeared" when folded down) remains on site.[1]

Between 1900 and 1911, most of Fort Williams' support buildings were constructed, including

bleachers
, and clubs (the enlisted non-commissioned officers' club utilized the basement of the already existing Goddard mansion, purchased by the government and added to the property).

In 1913, the 6-inch Armstrong gun of Battery Hobart was removed and transferred to Hawaii.[4]

World War I

During

railway artillery, but few guns of this type were so mounted, none saw action in France (though some were mounted there), and the 10-inch railway gun program was abandoned soon after the war.[5] A history of the Coast Artillery in World War I states that none of the regiments in France equipped with 6-inch guns completed training in time to see action before the Armistice.[6] The three 10-inch guns of Battery DeHart were also dismounted, but were soon remounted. After the war, the 10-inch guns were returned to Fort Williams, but Battery Garesché remained disarmed.[4]

Interwar

A plaque next to one of the fort's remaining buildings states that it housed towed

Biddeford Pool Military Reservation from 1942 through 1945.[9]

In 1923, the

USAT Chateau Thierry as part of the 18th Infantry Brigade force sent to reinforce the Panama Canal Zone
.

World War II and postwar

Fort Williams served as the headquarters of the Harbor Defenses of Portland throughout

90 mm dual-purpose guns of Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Battery (AMTB) 961, the emplacements for two of which remain a bit south of the lighthouse.[4][1] With little threat to the East Coast from surface ships by 1944, the coast defenses were drawn down and the Coast Artillery regiments reduced to battalions or their personnel were reassigned.[13] In January 1950, with the dissolution of the Coast Artillery Corps, Fort Williams' mission was officially changed from a harbor defense post to a logistical and administrative support installation for all military units and personnel in the State of Maine.[citation needed
]

Radar station

In 1950-51 Fort Williams hosted a station of the

657th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron from January–September 1951.[14] The radar station was deactivated in October 1951 and Fort Williams became an Air National Guard training site.[15] Other Air Force units stationed at Fort Williams included the 127th AC&W Squadron September 1951-September 1953 and the 677th AC&W Squadron September 1953-April 1954.[1][16][17]

Closure

On Saturday, 30 June 1962, Fort Williams officially closed and was turned over to the General Services Administration to be sold. The property was sold to the Town of Cape Elizabeth on 1 December 1964. Many of the fort's buildings were gradually torn down, though several structures remain, either intact or as preserved ruins. Most of the concrete bunkers and gun emplacements were backfilled, although Batteries Keyes, Hobart, and Garesche survive relatively intact, and the outlines of all the other emplacements are preserved on the surface. One of the two emplacements of Battery Blair was recently partly unearthed again, with its upper surfaces cleaned and painted and interpretive signage added; plans are being made to restore Blair's second emplacement in like manner.[18]

Present

After proposals ranging from a Coastal Science Park to low-income housing, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council designated Fort Williams on 23 July 1979, as Fort Williams Park. The park has been maintained for residents and non-residents for a small parking fee. Recreational facilities include two tennis courts, a basketball court, baseball diamond, a course for physical fitness, picnic tables and cookout facilities, a picnic shelter, a children's garden, and recreational opportunities for walking, running, and dogwalking. All visitors to Portland Head Light pass through the park, adding to its visibility. The Beach to Beacon 10K is one of the park's largest events of the year.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Fort Williams article at FortWiki.com. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. ^ Berhow, pp. 346-367
  3. ^ Berhow, pp. 336-345
  4. ^ a b c d Berhow, p. 202
  5. ^ US Army Railway Artillery in WWI
  6. ^ History of the Coast Artillery Corps in WWI
  7. ^ FortWiki article on Biddeford Pool Military Reservation
  8. ^ FortWiki article on Fort Baldwin
  9. ^ Biddeford Pool Military Reservation at FortWiki.com
  10. ^ Clay 2010a, p. 360.
  11. ^ "U.S.Navy Activities World War II by State". U.S. Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  12. ^ Berhow, pp. 467-471
  13. ISBN 0-88365-775-9
    .
  14. ^ Lashup Radar Network at Radomes.org
  15. ^ Fort Williams Lashup station at Radomes.org
  16. ^ Lashup Radar System at FortWiki
  17. ^ Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. pp. 67, 95, 99, 157. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  18. ^ Murphy, Edward D. (2 December 2011). "History buried at Fort Williams Park". Portland Press-Herald. Retrieved 1 September 2012.

External links

Official websites

Related websites

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