Finding World War II sites around Casco Bay

Last week, I continued working my way around Casco Bay, visiting World War II sites for a current photography project. The forts I have been visiting for this project are layered. Some date back into the 1800s, with structures added and modified over time to meet new defensive needs. Even forts that were active in World War II have parts that were used in the war and others that were not. Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth, which I visited last week, is one such place.

This fort is now part of a city-owned park next to Portland Head Light. I took the image of the lighthouse above after climbing up onto the top of the fort’s Battery Garesche. While this battery had defensive purposes in the past – and provided an excellent vantage point for photographing Portland Head Light – it does not appear to have been used during World War II.

So, what was built when? Which parts of the forts were used during the timeframe I am covering in my project?

One guide I have been using to find sites for this project is The Modern Defenses of the Coast of Maine: 1891-1945, an inventory created by Joel W. Eastman for the Maine Historical Preservation Commission in 1988. Eastman went through historical records to identify defense structures that were built in the late 1800s through World War II. He then listed each one by location, era, and purpose. He also researched the status of each structure, allowing me to see (at least as of 1988), which ones were still standing and whether they were publicly or privately owned.

According to this guide, Battery Garesche was built in 1906 and “officially abandoned in 1929.” The guns that were once mounted on the base shown in the photograph’s foreground were “removed during World War II.” Although this part of Fort Williams existed during World War II, it does not appear to have been an active part of the fort’s defenses at that point.

Battery Erasmus Keys, also constructed at Fort Williams in 1906, was another story. Located on the northern end of the fort’s grounds at a narrow opening into Portland Harbor, this structure was actively used during World War II. According to a historical marker at the site,

“During World War II, Battery Keyes was the ‘alert’ battery, which was manned and prepared to fire on any vessel which failed to identify itself properly.”

The photo above, which I took in late afternoon during my visit to Fort Williams last week, shows a sailboat passing Battery Keys on its way into Portland Harbor.