The remnants of Fort George are physical reminders of the military conflicts in Maine prior to its statehood. Because the town of Castine occupies an important strategic position at the head of Penobscot Bay, British forces seized the town in June 1779 and built Fort George to establish their control over the lumber-rich region, which they renamed New Ireland. The Massachusetts Legislature responded by organizing the Penobscot Expedition, a disastrous military offensive for the Revolutionary forces which stood as the United States' worst naval defeat until the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Fort George was the last British fortification to be evacuated in the aftermath of the American Revolution. Later, during the War of 1812, the British re-occupied the fort and re-established the colony of New Ireland, only to again relinquish both. American forces demolished much of the fort in 1819. Fort George consists of square-shaped earthworks that stand ten feet tall and are approximately 200 feet long. At each corner the earthworks project outward into a point, which would have provided soldiers protection.
Listed: 1969
For more information: https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=e3a4df88-e20e-41d7-80de-c71e311e3eaf