Fort Popham

Fort Popham from the shoreline

An interesting State Historic Site to visit south of Bath, Maine is Fort Popham.  This semi-circle of granite is positioned at the mouth of the Kennebec River, ostensibly to prevent enemies from skirting upstream to Bath and messing with the ship building facilities there.  Spurred by the Civil War, construction began in 1862 but was never completed.  Fort Popham would ironically receive further attention during the Spanish American War and WWI but still remains unfinished business.

It does, however, occupy a brilliantly beautiful point jutting into the river and I’ve been able to watch sea otters frolic here during several visits.  Feel free to ramble about the massive fortifications and appreciate that they have rehabilitated things quite a bit since my first time here decades ago – there are now several staircases that permit easy access to the second story and even another flight up to the very top.  There is no admission charge nor any government employees minding the fort - just drive up, park for free and enjoy.

The fort isn’t very big, but it seems to be a huge delight for youngsters.  Seems every time I’ve been here there have been parents bellowing for the children to leave NOW because it is time to move on!  There are plenty of picnic tables scattered about and I savored a relaxed lunch here last weekend, just idling and enjoying the sparkling water and boats puttering by.  The allure of picnicking seems to have prevented me from sampling Spinney’s, the restaurant adjacent to the fort – so your mission is to visit Fort Popham and write a review of Spinney’s so I’ll know whether to stop there next time I get back.