New England Defenses:About

Welcome to my website! Since I was a young lad I have visited and researched Coastal Defense installations in my local Harbor Defense (Portsmouth). In 2021 I decided to launch this project which has three main goals: documentation, preservation, and restoration of Coastal Defense sites located in New England. During my research and travels I have met many great people who have helped me out through and through. One large resource I recommend for any fort enthusiasts is the Coast Defense Study Group. Their goals are largely aligned with mine, although they focus on the entire United States and even some other countries. The CDSG has tons of files on all Harbor Defenses and it has been a huge help in my project. This website will most likely forever be a work in progress due to the constant changes at former CAC(Coast Artillery Corps) sites.

• PRESERVATION

After the end of WWII, most former Coast Defense sites were transferred from the government to private interests. Many were returned to landowners who civilianized the army buildings or let them be. Other larger sites became parks or were used by other government organizations. Due to this, many forts and fire control sites have been lost to new development or in the interests of public safety. Part of our mission is to preserve the history of these monuments from the past and keep them in a condition that will allow them to survive for many years to come. Of the around 150 sites all across New England, over 50 have been demolished and/or buried. These sites need to be protected at all costs.

• RESTORATION

The last goal of this website is the restoration of former CAC sites. Currently, we are not involved in that many restoration projects. A main focus right now is the restoration of the HECP at Fort Stark which is a big undertaking and will eat up a lot of time for other projects. It is important that as these buildings age, some are preserved and interpreted. Currently, there are no restored Endicott or WWII gun batteries in New England. Workers at Fort Adams are cleaning up some of their batteries for future interpretation and at Cape Elizabeth ME the Park Manager is looking at renovating Battery 201 and its BC station as a military museum but no efforts have yet been made.

If you have any questions, or comments or just want to reach out, please feel free to Contact Me at any time.