Fort Baldwin
Phippsburg, Maine

Fort Baldwin is located at the mouth of the Kennebec River in Phippsburg, Maine.  The fort was named after Jeduthan Baldwin - an engineer for the Colonial army during the Revolutionary War.  It occupies 38 acres of land.

Battery Cogan - Fort Baldwin

Construction.  The fort saw its construction start in 1905 and it ended in 1912.  The fort replaced the Civil War-era Fort Popham which was also in Phippsburg across the water at the mouth of the Kennebec River.  The fort was constructed in the manner that many coastal defense land batteries were built.  The fort was not constructed of granite like many other coastal defense forts; it is made of mostly concrete.  The fort originally had three batteries.  The batteries were removed in July 1924.  (1).

World War I.  The fort was garrisoned prior to and during World War I.  "During World War I, Fort Baldwin and Fort Popham held a garrison of 200 soldiers including the 13th and 29th Coast Artillery".   (2). The military forces assigned to the fort did not live at the fort; they lived in housing near Atkins Bay. 

World War II.  The fort was reactivated in World War II and garrisoned by D Battery, 8th Coast Artillery.  A concrete observation tower was built.  Observes in the tower would radio the position of enemy vessels to batteries located throughout Casco Bay. (3).

Gun positions at Fort Baldwin

Directions and Maps to Fort Baldwin.

The fort is located about 15 miles south of Bath on Maine Route 209. 

Other Web Sites with Information about Fort Baldwin

Fort Baldwin.  By Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  Some of the info from this page came from this Wikipedia web page.  This webpage has additional descriptive information on the type and number of cannons, who the batteries were named after, and the history of the units that garrisoned Fort Baldwin during World War I.

Maine Tourism : Fort Baldwin.  By ALLAcadia.com.

Observation tower at
Fort Baldwin, Maine

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News Articles, Documents, and Publications about Fort Baldwin in Phippsburg, Maine

September 25, 2000.  "The Forts of Maine".  By Frederick W. Chesson.

Footnotes:

1.  Info taken from Maine Tourism : Fort Baldwin of the Acadia National Park website.

2.  Info taken from Fort Baldwin.  By Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

3.  Ibid.

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