Saving the Blockhouse

Saving the Blockhouse. . , Fort Edgecom's octagonal blockhouse remains as the fort's most prominent feature. Typical of blockhouses, it was designed with openings in the walls through which guns and small cannons could be fired. The shingled exterior is an interesting feature of this structure and shows in early photographs, but may not be original. Of the nation's smaller fortifications built during the early 1800s, Fort Edgecombs's blockhouse is the best preserved., Except for a brief period during the Civil War, the site was quiet after 1816. The blockhouse and other fort buildings deteriorated significantly. In 1869, a local citizen wrote to the Secretary of War to report that the blockhouse was in poor condition. He also wrote that a contractor had taken over 40,000 bricks from the fort's parapet and brick kitchen and used them to build Wiscasset's new customs house., The Secretary of War responded by appointing local citizens as "keepers of the fort" to supervise restoration projects. They centered their efforts on the blockhouse as the fort's main attraction. Other fort buildings, which were in worse condition, were taken down., In 1923, the Secretary of War sought to dispose of various military posts, including Fort Edgecomb. At the urging of Maine Governor Percival Baxter, the state purchased the fort for $501. Fort Edgecomb and other state-owned historic forts came under the care of the Maine State Park Commission. The Maine Department of Conservation's Bureau of Parks and Lands, which is the Maine State Park Commission's successor, continues to manage and operate Fort Edgecomb today. , In 1808, Wiscasset resident Moses Carlton wrote to Secretary of War Henry Dearborn: "The blockhouse is nearly finished and the best piece of work I ever saw. Major Porter pays every attention to his business, and [has] everything done in the best manner possible.", Porter worked on the construction of Fort Edgecamb for six months and stayed nearby at the home of Moses Davis. He also had responsibility for the construction of other forts, or batteries, in Boothbay, Georgetown, Thomaston, and Castine., Porter was born in 1756 in Danvers, Massachusetts. He served under Generals Washington and Knox in the Revolutionary War. His specialty in artillery made him well suited to supervise the construction of Maine's small mid-coast forts, where cannons protected by waterfront earthworks were the primary means of defense. , ( photo captions ) , , General Moses Porter After the war of 18 12, Moses Porter became a general. This portrait was copied ca. 1890 by Elizabeth A. Clapp from the original painting. Courtesy of Danvers Historical Society, Danvers, Massachusetts. , , Fort Edgecomb ca. 1890 This photograph gives a good view of the blockhouse and the earthworks that protected the fort's cannons. The original palisade behind the earthworks was destroyed by this time, but was rebuilt later. Courtesy of Alice Boardway , , Blockhouse ca. 1870 The blockhouse's poor condition shows in this photograph, which pre-date's local fund-raising efforts to restore the structure. Courtesy of Maine Historic Preservation Commission , , Beginning in 1875, local people organized fundraising events, such "entertainments" to save the blockhouse. A nearby summer resident continued such efforts in 1908, raising funds by telling fortunes and teaching lace-making. Courtesy of Maine Historic Preservation Commission. , , Postcard View of Blockhouse ca. 1910 Here, the blockhouse shows the effects of repair work. Maine Department of Conservation/Bureau of Parks and Lands