Fort Scammel (Portland, Maine)

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This fort is located on the west side of House Island, a private island in Portland Harbor in Casco Bay.

Originally this fort was built in 1808 as a Second System fortification. It consisted of a circular battery of masonry, mounting fifteen heavy guns, covered in the rear with a wooden blockhouse mounting six guns. It was modernized under the Third System beginning in 1836.

As of 1851, it was intended to be armed with twelve 32-pounder seacoast guns, thirty 24-pounder guns, three field pieces, fifteen 8" heavy seacoast howizters, two 10" heavy mortars and one 10" light mortar, for a total of 63 guns.

A later modernization of the fort as part of the Third-System was to modify the armament to seventeen 32-pounder seacoast guns, eighteen 24-pounder guns, nine flank howitzers and two 8" heavy seacoast howizters for a total of 46 guns. This modernization was not begun until the onset of the civil war and was never completed.
 
www.cascobay.com/history/landmarks/landmark.htm#House

For more info & photos see www.travel-maine.info/historic_forts.htm#Fort-Scammel