Fort Point State Park is a public recreation area that overlooks

Penobscot Bay Penobscot Bay () is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine and Atlantic Ocean in south central Maine, a stretch known as Midcoast Maine, in a broader Atlantic region known as Down East. The bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River, ...

from the easternmost tip of

Cape Jellison Cape Jellison is a peninsula that juts into Penobscot Bay on the coast of Maine. In colonial times it was known as Wasaumkeag Point. It is part of the town of Stockton Springs, between Searsport and Bucksport, in the upper mid-coast region ...

in the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Stockton Springs Stockton Springs is a town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic ...

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

's feature the Fort Point Light and the site of historic

Fort Pownall Fort Pownall was a British fortification built during the French and Indian War, whose remains are located at Fort Point State Park in Stockton Springs, Maine. The fort was named for Governor Thomas Pownall, who oversaw its construction. It ne ...

. The park offers hiking trails, picnicking, and fishing.

History

The area was settled by English colonists in 1759 when

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Thomas Pownall Thomas Pownall (bapt. 4 September 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, N.S. – 25 February 1805) was a British colonial official and politician. He was governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay from 1757 to 1760, and afterwards sat in th ...

brought in 400 men under the command of

Jedidiah Preble Jedidiah Preble (1707–1784) was Captain of Infantry in Samuel Waldo's Regiment, whom he brought land from and settled in Falmouth, Maine (present-day Portland, Maine). He served in the Siege of Louisbourg (1745). He also fought in the Battle ...

to build Fort Pownall during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. The fort, which was meant to strategically protect English interests in the

Penobscot River The Penobscot River (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 22, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's W ...

area, saw no action during the war. In 1775, after the British seized the fort's guns in the

Burning of Falmouth The Burning of Falmouth (October 18, 1775) was an attack by a fleet of Royal Navy vessels on the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts (site of the modern city of Portland, Maine, and not to be confused with the modern towns of Falmouth, Massachus ...

, rebellious colonists destroyed the blockhouse and filled in its moat to keep it from falling into British hands. In 1872, a 200-room luxury hotel was constructed on the site with the aim of attracting wealthy guests who would arrive mostly via steamboat. The hotel was not a success and burned down in 1898. The site was opened as a state park in 1974.

References

External links

Fort Point State Park
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Fort Point State Park Brochure
Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry {{authority control State parks of Maine Protected areas of Waldo County, Maine Protected areas established in 1974 1974 establishments in Maine Point 1759 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies