Fort Knox

During the American Revolution and again during the War of 1812, British naval forces controlled the lower stretch of the Penobscot River. Fort Knox was built during the mid-19th century to thwart a third British invasion that never came. Fort Knox was named after Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War. Army engineers began building the fort in July, 1844. Great Britain and the United States fell into dispute over the northern border between Maine and New Brunswick. It was thought that British ships would once more sail up the unprotected Penobscot River.

Fort Knox saw two periods of military activity. Maine volunteers, as many as 117 were garrisoned here from 1863 to 1866, during the Civil War. In 1890, about 500 Connecticut troops were stationed at the fort during the Spanish-American War. The Penobscot River and its towns never saw or were threatened by an enemy ship during these wars.