David Leeman was up on a lift again Tuesday afternoon, replacing mortar that holds together 157-year-old Fort Knox overlooking the Penobscot River.
The historic masonry specialist has worked on the fort in the town of Prospect for about a dozen seasons, and there’s enough work to keep him busy for many more.
Ongoing mortar replacement, called repointing, has to be done with a traditional lime formula that lets water leach in and out during frost contractions. Modern mortars don’t, and have squeezed bricks at the fort to dust where well-meaning repairs used them in the past.
This work, which runs $20,000 to $30,000 annually, is one item on an ‘infinite’ list of repair and maintenance for the Friends of Fort Knox, according to Executive Director Dean Martin. The nonprofit was formed 35 years ago to help preserve the fort and has formally managed it through a state lease since 2012.
“It’s endless,” Martin said of possible projects at the historic site, which include major items deferred for lack of funds. “I have to pick the ones that are going to be the best bang for the buck.”
But he’s upbeat, saying the fort is in its best shape yet. Along with bringing economic activity to Bucksport and area towns, Martin sees the fort and neighboring Penobscot Narrows Observatory as a “gem” keeping history alive while displaying modern and historic architecture, engineering, technology, wildlife and scenery. Finding funding to keep the fort in order is a challenge, but for Martin, it’s worth the investment.
“Our nation, our world, would not look like it does today, [if not for] that one pivotal turning point in time when somebody decided to put Fort Knox here and put the cannons down below, and it did its job of being a deterrent,” he said.
The fort was established in 1844 to fend off possible British naval attacks up the Penobscot River, where they had made inroads during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Construction continued through 1869.
The fort never saw military action, but Martin urges visitors to imagine how different life might be today without forts along the New England coast to deter forces from advancing there during the Civil War. If fighting on two fronts, Union forces would have been split, he said, possibly tipping the scales of close battles.
Martin spoke to the Bangor Daily News two days before the start of the six-month season at the fort and observatory atop the Penobscot Narrows Bridge, which the friends also manage. Each year brings about 100,000 visitors, many of whom see the fort across the river when driving back from Acadia National Park.
The fort is also one of the best-preserved examples of coastal defense structures from the mid-19th century, according to historians.
The Friends of Fort Knox officially formed in 1991 to help repair it and promote the site’s significance.
It was decaying and past repairs had caused damage – like the modern mortar pulverizing bricks and asphalt paving over a sod roof, which led to water intrusion and icicles pushing the stone walls apart. An early project replaced that roof over an area known as Two-Step Alley, which is now leaking again.
Since Martin took the helm eight years ago, he’s also focused on beautification and accessibility projects. Benches have been added, flowers planted and trees cleared that once obscured parts of the fort and views of the river.
Many smaller projects happen each year, but others are deferred indefinitely, including three major ones that would take more state involvement and likely millions of dollars.
One is repairing the “enrockment,” or steep rock wall on the river’s edge. Martin worries about a landslide there, but it would likely have to be repaired by barge and face complicated permitting.
Old stone wharves that flood could also use repair or replacement, and two crumbling brick furnaces designed for heating cannonballs to set fire to enemy ships would need to be taken apart and painstakingly reconstructed by historic masons.
Projects don’t rely on state funds, instead supplied by a portion of admission fees, gift shop sales, grants and donations.
But it’s hard to apply for grants when wearing as many operational hats as Martin does, and competition is strong for donations and volunteer time. It’s also a harder sell until decay is visible enough for repairs to clearly make a difference, he said.
State bond funding contributed to fort repairs in the past. Last year, an $18 million bond package for maintenance at state historic sites was carried over.
Sixteen state historic sites across Maine need about $31 million in repair and preservation, according to testimony from Andy Cutko, director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands. Fort Knox had the highest price tag among them, at over $7.9 million.
Federal pandemic relief money was allocated for deferred maintenance on state parks by state government, according to Cutko, but not historic sites. The department neither supported nor opposed the bond.
Other historic sites are in more dire need because they have fewer visitors and less operational support, in Martin’s view.
“Money is desperately needed for keeping these historic sites in good shape and preserving Maine history,” he said.
At Fort Knox and its grounds, very little is off limits for paying visitors to explore and interact with, from the waterfront wharves to the underground brick corridors to the large cannons. Events are held throughout the season, including multiple Civil War reenactor weekends, ghost hunts and a medieval village.
Fright at the Fort, a long-running haunted house attraction, was discontinued after 2023 in the face of declining volunteer involvement and more liability issues.
The fort has also hosted a number of weddings – including that of David Leeman, the mason.
Despite the funding uncertainty, Martin was enthusiastic as ever about the fort as the season’s opening approached. A new assistant director has been hired; visitors were already strolling the grounds; he pointed out seals and fish in the river, an osprey and eagle fighting overhead.
“You got civil war reenactors, you got history, you got a beautiful park to look at, you got wildlife, you got architecture, photography,” Martin said. “This is a gem.”
