The History of Fort Scammel
House Island’s Fort Scammel is significant as one of the major fortifications of the Federal strategy to protect coastal cities and infrastructure leading up to the War of 1812 and continuing until the mid-1870s. Because of its location, Fort Scammel, along with Fort Gorges and Fort Preble, was a critical element in the defense of the entrance to Portland Harbor.
Built in 1808 as a Second System Fort with a wooden blockhouse and small 24 lb and 32 lb cannons, Fort Scammel defended the southern and eastern entrances to the harbor. The Fort is Named after Alexander Scammel (1747-1781), an officer during the Revolutionary War who died from injuries sustained during the Siege of Yorktown, VA.
The existing fort structures are largely the result of an expansion and upgrade of the fort from 1850-1876 as part of the Third System of Forts. This expansion occurred in 3 main phases. During the 1850s, the earthen berms (cover face), which largely define the footprint, were expanded to enclose the central parade ground on all sides. Additional cannons were installed behind this cover face, largely 32lb and 40lb cannons.
During the Civil War, the East and West Bastions were constructed to house protected cannons. 10-inch Rodman cannons were planned to be installed in these bastions, and the 1850s vintage cannons were also to be replaced with the 10-inch Rodmans. Following an explosion of technology during the Civil War, Fort Scammel was again upgraded. These upgrades include the addition of 15-inch Rodman cannons and an extensive network of underground concrete tunnels and magazines. By 1876, Third System Coastal fortifications were deemed obsolete and defunded.
During the 1890s, a massive construction and modernization program known as the Endicott Period saw major updates to the coastal defenses of Portland Harbor. These updates focused on concrete fortifications, the installation of large caliber breech-loading artillery, and the installation of minefields, with smaller guns employed to protect minefields from mine-sweeping vessels.
Fort Scammel was largely unmodified during this period. However, the East Bastion was equipped to control a minefield in Whitehead Passage to the East. During World War I, concrete bases for three-inch anti-aircraft guns were built on the South and East Batteries, but no guns were installed. During World War II, Portland Harbor was a major port supporting the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet. Fort Scammel saw few, if any, upgrades during this period, but remnants of the anti-submarine nets that protected the harbor can be found along the shore of House Island.
In addition, Fort Scammel is significant for its association with Army Engineer Thomas Lincoln Casey (1831-1896). Casey oversaw the construction of coastal fortifications in Maine, including Fort Knox, Fort Preble, Fort Scammel, and Fort Gorges. He oversaw the Washington Monument construction from 1879-1888, was the engineer of the Thomas Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress, and served as the Chief of Engineers for the United States Army Corps of Engineers from 1888-1895.