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Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF T (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVIC

i NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTC INVENTORY - NOMINATIO

( i ype an emnes — complete appnc

HE INTERIORE

)RIC PLACES N FORM

:able sections)

STATE:

MaineCOUNTY:

WaldoFOR NPS USE ONLY

ENTRY NUMBER DATE

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COMMON:

Fort Knox State ParkAND/OR HISTORIC:

Fort Knox••••-• :||

STREET AND NUMBER:

on the west bank of the Penobscot RiverCITY OR TOWN:

in the vicinity of ProspectSTATE

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CODE COUNTY:

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CATEGORY OWNERSHIP (Check One)

0 District Q Building B Public P

PI Site 7 JX Structure 1 1 Private

Q ! Object. . P ,Both0 ,:, t

PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

|~~| Agricultural ; ; ... Q Governmeht El]

"Q Commercial ^.rjclloS Industrial OWliQi

1 I Educational jiijB; Q Mi litary ( -jiUjjp < | |

CH Entertainment '^r fTIT] Museum 'A , ! - p. | |

•Z ||iO¥/NER OF PROPERTY

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ublic Acquisition:

| | In Process

| | Being Considerec

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Private Residence oJnJ!

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STATUS ACCESS.BLE TO THE PUBLIC

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, | _ 1 Preservation work . .. .:..', ;,[~T" No >'-i. ©B' in progress ' — '

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1<*4I1 Other (Specify)

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State of MaineSTREET AND NUMBER: _ ! Ol'lSdlCiJ : 2 /:•

State House 1 " io SOBi •-fO-cîxsCITY OR TOWN: ' 9jij -O SliO. i .".( "IOf| lifi r,

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STREET AND NUMBER: ; -j rjQri '- -rnT" i ir-ra) -Hpl n pf t"O» ">-">'£

CITY OR TOWN: STA1

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ENTR

Y NUMBER

1 ————————————————

DATE

Tl O 73

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C enm Oz r~ -<

CONDITION

(Check One)

Fair | | Deteriorated |~) Ruins I I Unexposed

(Check One;

Altered W Unaltered

(Checfc One;

Moved £ Original Site

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL, (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Located on the west bank of the Penobscot River in a commanding position on a high bluff, Fort Knox is a massive granite-and-brick five-sided fortress with a dry moat and sloping glacis on the landward sides, and two powerful flanking shore batteries. Massively constructed of granite blocks, the main fortress is about 146 feet by 252 feet in size and its walls average about 20 feet in height and 40 feet in width. Two of its five walls face east upon the river and these contain a series of eight great arched casements with ceilings heavily vaulted to support the artillery platforms mounted on the stone deck above. Both levels in these walls were armed with heavy guns that dominated the river. At the junction of the river walls, in the center east, is a large projecting bastion, built x^ith cannon ports and rifle galleries, to permit a flanking fire along the walls. To the north of the bastion, and located in the center of that river wall, is the main entrance to the fortress, - a large flat-arched doorway topped by a granite pediment and flanked by pilasters. The plan of the fort includes an open- court yard. This parade ground is marked by numerous manholes which provide access to large bomb-proof areas below ground that were intended for the storage of supplies and provisions. On the river side, in the northeast and southeast corners, are two magnificent spiral staircases in w&liJii a complete circular column is formed by the treads and rivers, which are of solid pieces of granite. The landside walls 3 to the.north, southland west, contained quarters, stables, and storage rooms, with rifle galleries along their outer faces, and heavy guns on the deck above.. In the south wall, which is about Ih6 feet in length, were the officers' quarters; these were divided into two separate sections, each with two rooms each measuring approximately 50 by 20 feet. The enlisted men's quarters, located in the 252-foot west wall, were divided into eight compartments, each measuring about 30 by 15 feet in size. The north wall, about 1^6 feet in length, contained the stables and storage rooms. ____ __ _

The three landward walls are defended on the exterior by a wide and deep granite-faced dry moat. Rifle slits in the exterior face of the fort and alato from rifle galleries in some exterior wall portions of the moat permitted a defensive fire along all sections of the moat. The exterior wall of the moat is covered by a massive sloping glacis or earthwork, which reduces the exposed granite landside walls of the fortress to a very silhouette. The northeast end of the glacis, facing on the river, is galleried, finely faced in granite, and pierced by canon ports and rifle slits. The entire north face of the glacis is also terraced with great rough hewn blocks of granite. The overall dimensions of the fortress, including the moat and glacis, are about 350 feet by 250 feet. .

On the river side, near the northeast and southeast corners of the granite fort, are two wide and long tunnels. Granite staircases in these descend | underground down the bluff to the two shore batteries located at a lower level and a short distance to the north and south of the main fortress. Both Batteries arie entrenched behind stone parapeted walls and contain brick hot shot ovens and magazines; the north battery having platforms for lU heavy guns and the larger seaward south battery, for about 25 guns.

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iiiititiiiiiiPERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate)

| | Pre-Columbian! l~1 16th Century

Q 15th Century D 17th Century

18th Century

I 9t" Century

20th Century

SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) 1844-64

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

Aboriginal | | Education ( | Political

| | Engineering

[ | Industry

| | Invention

|| Landscape

Architecture

| | Literature

£g Military

D Music

| | Prehistoric

C] Historic

[ | Agriculture

[3 Architecture

D Art

[~~| Commerce

[ | Communications

f~l Conservation

D Religion/Phi-

losophy

|| Science

| | Sculpture

[ | Social/Human

itarian

| | Theater

I | Transportation

|| Urban Planning

n Other fSpecify;

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STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

Constructed by master craftsmen in the period 1844-64 and never fully completed, Fort Knox is a superb and completely unaltered example of a large mid-19th century granite coastal fortification. Fort Knox is also probably New England's finest unmodified specimen of the military architecture of this period.

History

The present site of Fort Knox was selected by Major General Wool in 1838, at the time of the United States' controversy with Great Britain over the northeastern boundary with Canada. The land for the site, 124.5 acres, was acquired in September, 1843-March, 1844. The post was named in honor of the Revolutionary War hero and first U. S. Secretary of War, General Henry Knox, of Thomaston, Maine. Construction began in 1844 and continued until 1864, when it ended forever. About 8070 complete, the total cost of construction was $928,500.31.

The fort was first garrisoned during the Civil War and was occupied from July 1863 to March 1866 by a detachment of some 50 Maine Volunteers. The fort was armed at this time with 111 heavy guns. During the Spanish American War, in June and July of 1898, the post was again occupied by a regiment of Connecticut Volunteers, who numbered about 354 men. An Act of Congress, March 4, 1923, authorized the Secretary of War to dispose of the Fort Knox reservation and its buildings. These were purchased by the State of Maine for the sum of $2,121 on December 4, 1923. Fort Knox State Park has been administered by the Maine State Park and Recreation Commission since July 1, 1943.

Henry E. Dunnack, Maine Forts (August

Maine, A Guide to "Down East" (Americ

a, Maine, 1924), 45-66.

an Guide Series) (Boston, 1937), 227.

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY '

————————— ————————————————————————— ————————————————————————CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds

NW 44 ° 34 ' 38" 68 ° 48 ' 56 " NE 44 ° 34 • 38 » 68 ;<» 48 • 08 -SE 44 ° 33 ' 43" 68 ° 48 ' 08 " s* 44 ' 33 ' — 43' 68° 48' 56" ——————

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES 3 DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY ROF LESS THAN TEN ACRES

LATITUDE LO

Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees K 0 o

APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: 124 3LCY&S

|LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

STATE: CODE

STATE: CODE

STATE: CODE

STATE: CODE

COUNTY

COUNTY:

COUNTY:

COUNTY:

NAME AND Tl TLE:

Charles W. Snell, Survey HistorianORGANIZAT.ON Division of History, Office of Archeology and ° ATE Historic Preservation, National Park Service 7/10/

STREET AND NUMBER:

801 19th Street, N. W.CITY OR TOWN:

Washingtoniillil&it§t:fl&ii;iili£i;&

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na

tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law

89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion

in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set

forth by the National Park Service. The recommended level of significance of this nomination is:

National n State D Local n

Name

Title

Date

STATE

J?r C, .............uu ........................................................

MGI TUDE

Minutes Seconds

CODE

CODE

CODE

CODE

H|i||||l|||fl|llll

70

CODE

I hereby certify that this property is included in the

National Register.

Chief, Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation

Date

ATTEST:

Keeper of The National Register

Date

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Form 10-300a (July 1969)

UNITED S ES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

(Continuation Sheet)

Maine


ENTRY NUMBER

(Number all entries)

2. Boundaries for Fort Knox State Park, Prospect: 124.5 acres of land.

The precise boundary of Fort Knox State Park are shown in detail on the following two maps on file with the Branch of Historical Surveys:

1. "Fort Knox Reservation, Prospect, Maine, dated November 11, 1941; Scale 1 inch equals 200 feet."

2. "Plan of the Public Grounds at the Narrows of the Penobscot River, Drawn by A. W. Tinham, July 4, 1844, U.S. Engineer Department."

Form 10-300o (July 1969)

UNITED S'. tfS DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM

(Continuation Sheet)

Maine


ENTRY NUMBER

(Number all entiles)

7. Description Continued page 1

Constructed to mount a total of 137 cannon, only three heavy guns remain in the fortress today; these are two 10-inch Rodmans and one 15-inch Rodman.

The fortress was nearly completed when construction ended in 1864. Only more grading and a limited amount of building and finishing had been projected. The brick and stone work of the fort are of the finest quality and remain unaltered except for removal of small amounts for building purposes.The fort is in good condition and is open to visitors as an historical exhibit.

-North Shore Battery

earthwork or••g—sloping g3,acis

———^.-..Lry Moat

£L_Main Fort (granitej

—South Shore Battery

flan of Fort Knox near Prospect, Maine

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