Fort Preble (Old Pictures)

[Maine Finn]

I found these when I was poking around some sites about the old Fort Preble. My school uses what used to be the fort for classrooms and such, but I'm fascinated with the history of the place.

Later I'll post some pictures I've taken of what's left of the fortifications.

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The 5th Infantry Band, 1927

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The 5th Infantry was notable for its record in small arms firing. During 1924, three years before this photo was taken, the 5th Infantry rifle qualification was 99.49%, machine gun 94.30 % and 100% mortars and 37 mm.

The 5th Infantry was stationed at Portland, Maine from 1922-1940. Fort Williams served as headquarters and the soldiers were billeted there, at Fort Preble and Fort McKinley in Portland Harbor. Except for short absences on field training and minor shifts within the regiment, the disposition remained substantially unchanged for seventeen years.

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The 5th Infantry was stationed in Portland, Maine and is shown here in 1927. Forts Preble, McKinley and Williams housed the regiment. The 5th was known for its high rankings in marksmanship, marching band, and was part of the first motorized unit in the U.S. Army.

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The 5th Infantry, 1927

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The 5th Infantry Markmanship practise, 1927.

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5th Infantry Army Life, 1927

There are some others I can post, but they've not anything to do with Fort Preble, but some good black and white pictures anyway. I'll post if there's interest.

[Maine Finn]

Here's some more.

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Company E photo taken in April of 1917 in front of the Ordway Block (now Sterns) on Water Street/Madison Avenue near bridge in Skowhegan. Front Row, sitting, left to right, 4th-Brooks Savage.

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Joshua L. Chamberlain, former Bowdoin College professor, joined the army as Lt. col. of the 20th Maine Regiment. He became a full colonel soon thereafter. He is famous for his participation in the Battle of *****sburg.
Colonel Chamberlain lived in Brewer, where I used to live. There's a new park there that's dedicated to him.

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This is a photograph of Maine's 1st Regiment for the American Civil War fought between 1861-1865. The names Greene and P.S.I. Inch are written on the photograph.

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The full title for this photograph is, "The Departure of the Norway Light Infantry for the Spanish-United States War, Monday morning, May 2, 1898.

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Military pass issued to H.L. Prince of the 20th Maine infantry volunteers, to travel on Jan. 10, 1863.

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This ballad 'Glory to Old Maine' is dedicated to the Twelfth Maine Regiment that fought in the Civil War, 1861-1864. Sung to the tune of "Glory Hallelujah".

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The War of the Rebellion, or Civil War, was the last major conflict in which Americans marched into action to the sound of live music. It was a job that required unflinching courage and exactness of each musician. Here the surviving members of the 30th Maine's Drum and Fife Corps assemble near war's end. Only 14 year old Daniel Skilling of Portland is identified (drummer at far right) but others would be 44 year old Jacob Keane of Turner, and teens from Palmyra, Lewiston, Bethel, Lebanon, Acton, Skowhegan and Buckfield. The regiment fought in seven battles in Louisiana and Virginia.

[Stavka]

Let me just say that Lt. Col. J Chamberlains moustasche rox.

[Maine Finn]

I'm working on getting some pictures I've taken of the remaining Fort Preble fortifications. I've taken to calling them "The Ruins". One of these days/nights I'm going to go explore the insides of the bunkers. The only problem is getting past the padlocks and piles of stone.

:D

I'll post my pictures as soon as I get them onto a web space.

[Maine Finn]

*Deleted*

[Maine Finn]

A couple of pictures and some information about Fort Gorges I just found.


A HISTORY OF FORT GORGES,
Hog Island Ledge, Portland Harbor

Text and photos by Joel W. Eastman
University of Southern Maine)

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After the War of 1812 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a new fortification on Hog Island Ledge to support forts Preble and Scammel and to cover the northeastern approaches to the harbor. Funding for the fort was approved by Congress in 1857, and construction began the next year. A wharf and stone cutting shed were built on Hog Island Ledge, footings laid, and erection of the walls begun. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, work was speeded up. By 1864, the fort was well on its way to completion and twenty-six guns had been mounted while construction continued. By 1865, work was completed according to the original plan, and it was named in honor of Sir Ferninando Gorges, colonial proprietor of Maine.

Above: Looking down a line of gun casements.
At right: The parade ground and gun casements.http://www.cascobay.com/history/gorges/gorges3.jpg

In 1869 a modernization project was begun to upgrade the fort. Guns and gun platforms on the third level were removed, and new emplacements for larger guns begun on the north, east and west faces with adjacent powder magazines, with parapets and magazines protected by sod-covered sand. An embankment or "parados" of sod-covered sand was built on the south face to protect the rear of the guns and magazines. A two-story "great magazine" was built on the east end of the parade ground to store the large amounts of powder required by larger guns. Thirty-four guns remained mounted in the casemates on the first and second levels of the fort.

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In 1876, Congress ended funding for the modernization project with work on the third level unfinished. At the time of the Spanish War, thirty-one guns remained mounted, but these were salvaged shortly thereafter. In 1897, the Army constructed a submarine mine storehouse in the center of the parade ground with a small railroad running from it to a crane at the end of the wharf. A caretaker, Charles Rust, and his family lived in the fort in the apartments to the east of the entrance until 1916. His granddaughter was born there.

At left: The mine storehouse, looking east.
At right: The west face. http://www.cascobay.com/history/gorges/gorges7.jpg

In the 1930s, the Coast Guard installed an aid-to-navigation beacon in the fort which was powered by a generator and shown out through one of the gun embrasures. In 1940s, rolls of steel cable for submarine mines, submarine nets or moorings were stored in the fort in the mine storehouse and casemates. In 1946, the fort was declared surplus by the General Services Administration. In 1960, Fort Gorges was acquired by the City of Portland as an historic site, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service.

[Maine Finn]

Some pictures I've taken from around campus. The old Fort Preble fortifications and a couple of post buildings that still remain.

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A gun emplacement overlooking the harbour.

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I'm not certain what purpose this area served, but it was fallen in bad disrepair.

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The view from the top of the leftmost bunker. The entrance (see below) is semi-blocked.

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The metal door that has fallen shouldn't be too difficult to climb over.

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I'm fairly sure this was the old armoury bunker. There used to be a door on the side that somebody had broken open, so it was possible to get inside, but that's since been repaired.

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This is carved above the centre doors in the armoury bunker. It says:
"Built in 1904
on the site of
Fort Preble
erected
1808."

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A larger emplacement just to the left of the armoury bunker. Forty-four years of disuse has taken its toll, unfortunately.

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This is the entrance to a smaller bunker about seventy yards or so from the armoury bunker. It seems that efforts to block up the entrance have been made, but it's still easy to get inside.

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The view around the corner. Unfortunately, it's too dark to go far inside without a powerful flashlight.

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This building currently serves as a dormitory, but was the Commanding Officer's Quarters in 1902.

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This was the Fire Station in 1921. Now the Finance Office.

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This was the Company Barracks in 1903. Now a general-use classroom building.

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This is the Criminal Justice/Fire Science building. It was a hospital in 1902, but was converted to barracks in 1939.

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The Post Headquarters in 1904. Now the Cates Administration Building.