U.S Army at Fort Williams

U.S Army at Fort Williams. The Military Years. , In 1873, the U.S. Army began acquiring land (at $200 per acre) between the Portland Head Light and the Goddard Mansion to protect the vibrant trade and strategic harbor of Portland, Maine. The threat of war with Spain prompted the military to expand its local operations, which in 1899 became Fort Williams. The fort was named in honor of Brevet Major General Seth Williams, a West Point graduate from a prominent Maine political family., In 1902, the U.S. Army’s land acquisition expanded Fort Williams to include the Goddard Mansion. The mansion itself was turned into Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) quarters during the World Wars and eventually housed the NCO Club. In 1941, two barracks, two offices, a mess hall and a recreation hall were all built on the same peninsula between the mansion and the shoreline., In the early 1960’s, the NCO Club opened its doors on Sundays to the public. Due to traditional ‘Blue Laws’, it was illegal to buy or sell alcohol elsewhere in Maine on Sundays. The NCO Club at Goddard Mansion, being on federal land and therefore not subject to Maine law, became a Sunday hot spot for drinking, socializing and live music., Sunday fun at the Goddard Mansion lasted only a few years as the military would down operations and eventually closed Fort Williams in 1962. The fort and Goddard Mansion quickly fell into disrepair and suffered vandalism, small fires and neglect. Two years later, the Town of Cape Elizabeth purchased the entirety of Fort Williams for $200,000 (about $2M in 2025 dollars) from the U.S. General Services Administration.