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'{{about|the fort in Maine|other locations|Fort McKinley (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox NRHP | name = Fort McKinley Historic District | nrhp_type = hd | nocat = yes | image = [[Image:12-inch-M1897-Firing.jpg|300px]] | caption = 12-inch [[disappearing gun]], similar to those mounted at Fort McKinley | location= [[Great Diamond Island, Maine]] | coordinates = {{coord|43|40|45|N|70|11|50|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Maine#USA | built = {{Start date|1897}} | architect = US Army Corps of Engineers | added = 21 March 1985 | area = {{convert|43|acre}} | governing_body = Private and public | refnum = 85000611<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> }} '''Fort McKinley''' is a former [[United States Army]] [[coastal defence and fortification|coastal defense]] fort on [[Great Diamond Island, Maine]] in [[Casco Bay]], which operated from 1873 to 1947. It was named for [[President of the United States|President]] [[William McKinley]]. It included a sub-post, '''Fort Lyon''', on Cow Island, just north of Great Diamond Island. Fort Lyon was named for [[Nathaniel Lyon]]. Both forts were part of the Coast Defenses of Portland, renamed the [[Harbor Defenses of Portland]] in 1925, a command which protected Portland's port and naval [[anchorage (shipping)|anchorage]] 1895-1950. In 1946 Fort Lyon was closed and turned over to the City of Portland.<ref name="FWLy1">[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Lyon_(1) FortWiki article on Fort Lyon]</ref> After Fort McKinley's closure it was transferred to the [[United States Navy]], which sold the site (via the [[General Services Administration]]) to private interests in 1961.<ref name="FWMc1">[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_McKinley FortWiki article on Fort McKinley]</ref> The Fort McKinley Historic District was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1985.<ref name="nris"/> ==History== ===Construction and armament=== The [[Board of Fortifications]], often called the [[William Crowninshield Endicott|Endicott]] Board, recommended a comprehensive program of new fortifications in 1885. Forts McKinley and Lyon were among the results. Construction on Fort McKinley began in 1897 and was complete by 1906. Fort McKinley totaled {{convert|111|acre}} resulting from two land purchases in 1873 and 1901. The fort was divided by Diamond Cove into a North Fork and a South Fork.<ref name="FWMc1"/> The entirety of Cow Island was acquired by the government in 1873; Fort Lyon was built on {{convert|22|acre}} of it and was complete by 1909.<ref name="FWLy1"/> [[File:6in Rifled Gun No 9.jpg|thumb|right|300px|{{convert|6|in|0|sing=on}} disappearing gun at [[Battery Chamberlin]], [[Presidio of San Francisco]], similar to guns at Batteries Acker and Bayard, Forts McKinley and Lyon.]] [[File:12-inch Mortars at Battery Meigs, Fort Washington, MD.png|thumb|right|300px|{{convert|12|in|0|sing=on}} mortars in a pit, similar to Battery Ingalls.]] Fort McKinley was completed by 1906 with nine gun batteries as follows:<ref name="FWMc1"/><ref name="Berhow202">Berhow, p. 202</ref> North Fork: {| class="wikitable" !Name !No. of guns !Gun type !Carriage type !Years active |- |[[Rufus Ingalls|Ingalls]]||8||[[12-inch coast defense mortar|{{convert|12|in|0|sing=on}} mortar]] M1890||[[barbette]] M1896||1904-1942 |- |[[Hiram Gregory Berry|Berry]]||2||[[12-inch gun M1888|{{convert|12|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1888]]||[[disappearing gun|disappearing]] M1896||1901-1943 |- |[[Brigadier Samuel Thompson|Thompson]]||3||[[8-inch gun M1888|{{convert|8|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1888]]||disappearing M1896||1902-1942 |- |Acker||2||[[6-inch gun M1897|{{convert|6|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1897]]||disappearing M1898||1902-1943 |- |Farry||2||[[3-inch gun M1898|{{convert|3|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1898]]||[[masking parapet]] M1898||1902-1920 |- |} South Fork: {|class="wikitable" !Name !No. of guns !Gun type !Carriage type !Years active |- |[[George Weymouth|Weymouth]]||3||{{convert|8|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1888||disappearing M1896||1901-1942 |- |Honeycutt||2||{{convert|8|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1888||disappearing M1896||1901-1942 |- |Carpenter||2||[[6-inch gun M1900|{{convert|6|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1900]]||pedestal M1900||1906-1917, 1919-1947 |- |Ramsay||2||{{convert|3|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1898||masking parapet M1898||1902-1920 |- |} Fort Lyon was completed by 1909 with two gun batteries as follows:<ref name="FWLy1"/> {|class="wikitable" !Name !No. of guns !Gun type !Carriage type !Years active |- |[[George Dashiell Bayard|Bayard]]||3||[[6-inch gun M1903|{{convert|6|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1903]]||disappearing M1903||1907-1917 |- |Abbot||3||[[3-inch gun M1903|{{convert|3|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1903]]||pedestal M1903||1909-1946 |- |} At Fort McKinley, facilities supporting an [[Submarine mines in United States harbor defense|underwater minefield]] were built on the South Fork and at Fort Lyon;<ref name="FWLy1"/> the 3-inch guns at both forts were intended to defend the minefield against [[minesweeper]]s.<ref>Berhow, pp. 346-367</ref> Construction of the original barracks and administration buildings at Fort McKinley began in 1902-1903 and lasted through 1906. This construction phase was sized for four companies. Four 109-man [[barracks]] were constructed along with four sets of duplex [[Non-Commissioned Officer]]s' (NCO) quarters, six sets of duplex officers' quarters, three sets of single family officers' quarters and various administration and support buildings to accommodate a post of this size.<ref name="FWMc1"/> A few buildings were built between 1905 and 1908, and a significant expansion to accommodate seven [[company (military unit)|companies]] began in 1908-1909 and was largely complete by the end of 1910. The expansion included two additional barracks, one of which was a double barracks, four more sets of duplex NCO quarters and a ten-man Bachelor Officers' Quarters (BOQ). At this point, the fort had the capacity for 17 officers, 18 married NCOs, and 788 enlisted men. The existing [[hospital]] and [[guardhouse]] were expanded in 1910 to accommodate the increased population.<ref name="FWMc1"/> ===World War I=== During [[World War I]], the forts were manned by artillery companies of the [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps|Coast Artillery Corps]] and [[Maine National Guard]] troops. After the [[American entry into World War I]] in 1917, the forts were partially disarmed so the guns could be shipped to the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] in [[France]]. Four of the eight mortars of Battery Ingalls were removed for conversion to [[railway artillery]]. This was done with most mortar batteries; with four mortars in each pit the reloading time was excessive due to crowding of men and equipment. So, mortars were removed to leave two mortars per pit. The mortars were not shipped to France; most railway mortars remained in reserve through World War II. Some of Fort McKinley's 8-inch (203&nbsp;mm) guns were dismounted for railway conversion, but never left the fort and were later remounted.<ref name="FWMc1"/><ref>[http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/Railway%20Artillery.html US Army Railway Artillery in WWI]</ref> The two 6-inch (152&nbsp;mm) guns of Battery Carpenter and Fort Lyon's three six-inch guns were removed to be mounted on field carriages; all were shipped to France and later returned to the United States, with Battery Carpenter's guns returning to Fort McKinley.<ref name="FWMc1"/> The Fort Lyon guns were eventually used elsewhere on new mountings in World War II.<ref name="FWLy1"/> A history of the Coast Artillery in World War I states that none of the regiments in France equipped with 6-inch guns completed training in time to see action before the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918|Armistice]].<ref>[http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/defeating_the_hun.htm History of the Coast Artillery Corps in WWI]</ref> In 1920 Fort McKinley lost both of its 3-inch gun batteries due to obsolescence; this was part of a general removal of all [[Driggs-Seabury]] [[3-inch gun M1898|{{convert|3|in|0|sing=on}} gun M1898]] and their unique masking parapet mountings from service. The masking parapet mount was a simple form of disappearing mount; on 3-inch guns it could not be retracted in action and was locked in the up position after a few years in service.<ref name="FWMc1"/><ref>Berhow, pp. 70-72, 202</ref> ===World War II=== In 1940-1941 both forts were expanded to deal with the influx of draftees; a [[conscription|draft]] was instituted shortly after the outbreak of [[World War II]] in Europe in September 1939 and the [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] was mobilized, which included [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps|Coast Artillery Corps]] units. Construction at Fort McKinley added six temporary enlisted barracks, one temporary officers' barracks, two [[mess hall]]s, two administration buildings and two recreation buildings. This increased the post capacity to 62 officers, 18 married NCOs, 1438 enlisted men and 25 animals in Jun 1941.<ref name="FWMc1"/> In late 1941 Fort Lyon added three new temporary buildings, a wharf, and utilities to house 130 enlisted men and 6 officers. The three buildings included a 172-man mess hall, a 74-man enlisted barracks and a modified barracks to house 56 enlisted men and 6 officers. An [[antiaircraft]] battery was also deployed there.<ref name="FWLy1"/> At this time the major units garrisoning the Harbor Defenses of Portland were the [[8th Coast Artillery (United States)|8th Coast Artillery Regiment]] of the [[Regular Army (United States)|Regular Army]] and the 240th Coast Artillery Regiment of the [[Maine National Guard]].<ref>Berhow, pp. 467-471</ref> However, most guns of the two forts would soon be removed and scrapped. A modernization centered on [[Battery Steele]] on [[Peaks Island]] was implemented, and by the end of 1943 all guns and mortars had been removed from both forts, except the two 6-inch (152&nbsp;mm) guns at Battery Carpenter and three 3-inch (76&nbsp;mm) guns at Battery Abbot.<ref name="FWLy1"/><ref name="FWMc1"/><ref name="Berhow202"/> With little threat to the East Coast from surface ships by 1944, the coast defenses were drawn down and the Coast Artillery regiments reduced to battalions or their personnel reassigned.<ref>{{cite book | last = Stanton | first = Shelby L. | title = World War II Order of Battle | publisher = Galahad Books | year = 1991 | pages = 456, 470, 489 | isbn = 0-88365-775-9 }}</ref> Shortly after the war the Army withdrew from Forts McKinley and Lyon and the properties were sold or transferred. ==Present== Fort McKinley has been redeveloped as a [[gated community]] named Diamond Cove. Most of the batteries are heavily overgrown and on private property. Cow Island was redeveloped beginning in 2000 as a camp for environmental, adventure, and leadership development programs.<ref>[http://www.rippleffect.net/cow-island/conservation-easement/ Cow Island history at RippleEffect.com]</ref> ==See also== *[[Casco Bay]] *[[Port of Portland (Maine)]] * [[Seacoast defense in the United States]] * [[United States Army Coast Artillery Corps]] * [[List of coastal fortifications of the United States]] * [[Harbor Defenses of Portland]] * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} * {{cite book | last1 = Berhow | first1 = Mark A., Ed. | title = American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide, Second Edition | publisher = CDSG Press | year = 2004 | isbn = 0-9748167-0-1}} * {{cite book | last = Lewis | first = Emanuel Raymond | title = Seacoast Fortifications of the United States | publisher = Leeward Publications | year = 1979 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 978-0-929521-11-4 }} * {{cite book | last1 = United States Army | title = Harbor Defenses of Portland, 1941: pictorial history | series = World War Regimental Histories. 99. | url = http://digicom.bpl.lib.me.us/ww_reg_his/99/ | location = Atlanta, GA | publisher = Army-Navy Publications | year = 1941 }} ==External links== * [https://digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/collection/MVTN/id/6236?fbclid=IwAR1bFVSqPXWy5WjkSXGmNs0ZLn-KNi5dJG0ljcsBa_8hNO2gNx1jX8xxmp8 1929 film of mine planting operations in the Harbor Defenses of Portland, Maine] *[http://cdsg.org/fort-and-battery-list/ List of all US coastal forts and batteries] at the Coast Defense Study Group, Inc., website *[http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Wiki FortWiki, lists most CONUS and Canadian forts] *[http://www.fortwiki.com/Coastal_Battery_Gun_List Gun types at FortWiki] *[[Historic American Engineering Record]] documentation, filed under Great Diamond Island, Portland, Cumberland County, ME: **{{HAER |survey=ME-59 |id=me0300 |title=Fort McKinley |data=15 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-A |id=me0319 |title=Fort McKinley, North Fork Mining Casemate, West side of Seal Cove Lane north of Wood Side Drive |photos=5 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-B |id=me0320 |title=Fort McKinley, Battery Berry Observation Station, North side of Wood Side Drive approximately 80 feet east of Spring Cove Lane |photos=3 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-C |id=me0321 |title=Fort McKinley, Battery Honeycutt Observation Station, East side of East Side Drive, approximately 225 feet south of Cove Side Drive |photos=3 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-D |id=me0322 |title=Fort McKinley, Double Mine Building, East side of East Side Drive, approximately 125 feet south of Weymouth Way |photos=3 |data=5 |cap=21 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-E |id=me0323 |title=Fort McKinley, Battery Carpenter Observation Station, West side of East Side Drive, approximately 275 feet south of Weymouth Way |photos=3 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-F |id=me0324 |title=Fort McKinley, South Fork Latrine, West side of East Side Drive, approximately 225 feet south of Weymouth Way |photos=4 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-G |id=me0325 |title=Fort McKinley, Battery Weymouth Combined Observation Station, West side of East Side Drive, approximately 125 feet south of Weymouth Way |photos=2 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-H |id=me0326 |title=Fort McKinley, South Fork Telephone Switchboard Building, South side of Weymouth Way, approximately 100 feet west of East Side Drive |photos=4 |data=5 |cap=2 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=ME-59-I |id=me0327 |title=Fort McKinley, Meteorological Station, East side of Weymouth Way, approximately 225 feet south of Cove Side Drive |photos=3 |data=4 |cap=2 |link=no}} {{Forts of Casco Bay}} {{FmrMEMilitary}} {{National Register of Historic Places}} [[Category:Forts in Maine|McKinley]] [[Category:History of Maine]] [[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine|McKinley]] [[Category:Closed installations of the United States Army]] [[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Maine]] [[Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Maine]]'