Such an amazing adventure and a great video! It was awesome getting to join you on this trip. Excited to finally have checked Fort Gorges off my list! 🗺️✅

Hey guys I have a story for you a out Ft Gorges, an elderly couple rented a house from my father back in the mid 1970's they were John and Lyda , he was from Norway and she claimed to be the only person to be born on Ft Gorges. The dates I know about and I don't know her maiden name, she was married three times. After she was born her mother died and she was allowed to live with her father at the fort . When she was a small child her father went n a charter fishing trip and after a morning of fishing the captain of the boat dropped the anchor for lunch her dad ,after eating lunch ,felt like a nap and fel asleep behind an air vent where the captain couldn't see him and subsequently dropped the anchor on his chest killing him and that began the sad life of Lyda Dahl. She married three times and all three had problems with alcohol! She had 3 r 4 children and had many deaths in her family there's way more to this story but it doesn't pertain to Frt Geogus,thanks for listening, K

An island granite fort. My dream home.

J MASS 🙌🙌

Nice to see you’re out doing this thanks for sharing. Many channels talk about these “forts” perhaps were built for other purposes- and often called a “battery”. “Old” etchings from 1995 😂😂😂😂

Very cool!

1820 is when Maine became its own state!!!

This is a must-visit for me, but this is a DRIIIIIIIIIVE. Maybe on my way up to Acadia.

6:00 The slits in the walls were rifle loopholes to shoot at anyone trying to enter. 8:37 the vegetation on the roof is actually causing extensive damage to the ceilings in the gun castmates and the US Army Corps of Engineers are trying to determine the best way to repair the roof while maintaining the vegetation. 9:32 a lot of third system forts had most of their support structure built of brick. 9:35 its plaster. Concrete was not really a thing the army used until the 1870s. 9:40 the fort has been left to decay for 75 years so a lot of wooden and plaster parts have fallen away such as in this room. 11:55 great for storing torpedos! 13:34 the fort remained a torpedo/mine storage facility until 1916 when it was put on caretaker status. 16:37 it is calcium minerals that bleed from the mortar holding the bricks together. It is also common on concrete gun batteries. 17:15 it is a safety measure due to the deterioration I mentioned earlier. The only people who do maintenance are the Friends of Fort Gorges and the US Army Corps of Engineers but they hardly do anything aside from close off unsafe areas. 19:10 Fort Preble, Fort Scammel, Fort Levett, Peaks Island MR, Fort McKinley, Jewell Island MR, Bailey Island MR, Long Island MR and Chebauge island MR. 20:30 it is to move the canons. 22:10 I think it is a mount for a radiator for a auxiliary generator. 25:00 possibly a rifle loophole? 25:30 this is one of the magazines for gunpowder. 26:09 they were once timbers that separated this room into two floors. 27:40 this is the primary/central magazine also for gunpowder. 30:20 this is again from the water damage caused by the roof vegetation. 32:11 they were melted down by the arsenals to make new weapons. 33:53 this is because all of the railings were installed by the US Army Corps of Engineers from 1994-2015. 35:48 that was done during the reconstruction of the roof in 1873ish. 39:26 1870s magazines. 41:28 it was installed in the 1870s and scrappers did not want to go through the effort of moving it so they dismounted it and left it there. The other officers quarters which I think was closed off still has an intact staircase and you could access the entire second level. Thank you for the video

I’m here in Portland Maine and always wanted to check out the fort but can’t. Ty for vid and its history. 👍

Amazing to see the staircase in the officer's place. and all the fireplaces they did need them as it is cold with the great Maine North Wind. Thanks.

It looks antediluvian, and that would explain all the dirt on the roof. Great video of an interesting site! Subscribed.

This has almost a very same set up as fort popham in phippsburg Maine ..

wow that’s a wicked cool spot! love the history and ruins!

Being from central Maine, we have a few other main Granite Forts, Ft. Popham and Ft. Knox!!! Both forts protect, the mouths of the Kennebec River and Penobscot River, two of the major River systems!!! My river system (the Kennebec) was the proposed route of Benedict Arnold “ Americas favorite traitor to invade (British)Quebec City, Canada!!! In the War of 1812, the city of Portland was shelled by the British, so there was a need to build more elaborate defenses for the Casio Bay!!! Portland was Maine’s Capitol City originally, then Augusta was chosen to be a more centrally located Capitol City!!!

This was simply epic! Incredible!

Didn't know about this place. We used to love to go through Ft Knox when I was a kid. It wasn't abandoned but it wasn't really monitored much in early 90's.

great job J-MASS and Tom !

Wow.. Thanks for exploring this Fort.. I had wondered what it looked like in there while I was living in Maine.. I had visited the Portland Headlight and the batteries around that park and the gun emplacement bunker that faced this Fort.. Was always curious what the history was as well.. Thanks JMASS..

Reminds me of the set for the hunger games 😱

JMASS I ENJOY THE NEW INTRO

I ENJOY JMASS

It doesn’t seem like you’re seeing the most incredible aspects….like the brickwork of the arched 2nd floor ceiling??? The granite block work? The floor?

Gorges was Gorgeous (ha ha, I’m sure you thought that). I’ve been by that island many times on a lighthouse cruise, but have never been in that fort. You did a fantastic job illuminating all the historical place has to offer. And I’m looking forward to your Massachusetts series!

This was awesome! lived here my whole life going by in boats and my mother-in-law has a place right across from it in South Portland look at it all the time. I always wondered what it would look like.. buying a kayak now I can’t wait. Thank you so much! Wicked fun

Good afternoon from Cape Cod ⚓ that fort is in remarkable shape. Yes I guess it's hard to vandalize it when it's sitting out in the middle of the ocean 😂 thanks for documenting this Jason, I haven't seen this one. I've been to fort wetherill, fort Getty and fort Adams. Lived in New Bedford for 10 years and yes I've been to fort Rodman. The drone shots are awesome 👍 keep up the good work and be safe on your explorations✌️🇺🇲

Try going to ft. Knox in Prospect, ME. They still have cannons, cannon balls and it's like 5 times as large as this fort. It also has access to the observatory on the penobscot narrows bridge, which is like 475 ft up! I was terrified. It also has tunnels into gun batteries and cells for prisoners. It never actually saw warfare.

Those really dark rooms that you were walking through were powder magazines where the gunpowder for the cannons was stored.

Red brick wood the rest not us!!

16:40 Lyme mortar seeping through, it’s the same at fort independence in Southie. Similar designs too. Subscribed 👍🛎 edited to add that the little dead end rooms were the privy area when old basins were used.

It must be a common thing to explore when you're young,I was in every mill and abandoned building i n Holyoke.

Love this explore! Gorgeous Gorges! (Is that gray hair I see? 🧐 )

Cool af!

As someone who lives in Maine I've always wondered what a fort was doing here, I knew the name and when it was built but I never went out of my way to research it. Every time I go whale watching we pass the fort, looks beautiful from the sea.

Love me some abandoned forts.

I loved exploring Peaks Island in the 1980's. Diamond Island has a fort on it as well I believe?

Only the portland city council could let such potential rot away !

Very nice video. I lived in Portland many years and had a view of this old fort and wish i had visited it also. Anyway, Casco bay is referred to as just that Casco bay. Not "the Casco bay" No worries, just don't want you to sound like a tourist. We will accept you since Maine was part of Mass until 1820. Good luck exploring! tom

Nice video guys. As an explorer myself how did you guys get out to that fort ? I’m a kayaker so that fort could be a road trip for me. Thanks

J-MASS you really know your stuff i take it you do your homework before you adventure. say hello to tom for me. Peace from Wolverhampton England

TRY FORT TICONDEROGA IN N.Y.

That would make a great venue for an electronic music festival...!

❤️❤️❤️

I'm not sure if anyone knows this, but many old world buildings foundations are made of red brick like Fort Jefferson and ancient Rome. Forts are also known as batteries..... Red brick was designed as it was capable of storing energy and was rechargeable.

J MASS J MASS

JB = James Bond 😂 In all seriousness, I'm guessing it's someone's initials on the pillars, though it did conjure up another more obscure reference for me and if whoever carved had the intention I'm about to describe in mind, that's some next level shit. J and B (sometimes depicted as B and J) could be a reference to two pillars on the mystical Temple of Solomon, named Jachin and Boaz. Admittedly, I'm not overly familiar with the Hebrew history, however this symbolism is also used by the Freemasons and famously on The High Priestess tarot card (depicted very clearly on the Rider Waite Smith deck version if anyone is so inclined to search for an image). Very mysterious. I'd like to hope that whoever wrote the letters did have this esoteric intention in mind, but probably just a fluke and a coincidence.

you should visit Fort Knox in Bucksport , Maine . it's located on the Penobscot river, which is rare because it is a tidal river. i'm sure you will enjoy. ! May, June, Sept ,Oct. 9am - 5 pm . July, August 9am-6pm penobscot bridge observation tower, is tallest in the world, open to public. about $6. pet friendly on leash

J, my wifes ancestors captained the Great Stone Sloops of Chebeague Island. The granite came from Vinalhaven. The REAL Red October actually happened right there off of Chebeague.

I live in maine and have always wanted to go out there I have been to all others but wasn't sure how open it was .I'm going to have to take the drones out and get some footage

Oh, wow. I will be taking the drone there

Check out the Milliken Battery in New Bedford MA.

I bet those beams are in some ones house on the ocean front

the vaulted room was for powder storage

If you ever get up to the border of NY/Quebec/Vermont, you should check out Fort Montgomery on Lake Champlain which looks so much like this one, only part of it was destroyed to use as landfill for the bridge to Vermont in the 1930s which is so gross!!!! No respect for our historical landmarks back then!! It's not open to the public anymore due to all the disgusting vandalism and theft of so much and now how dangerous it is because it's crumbling, yet still so very stoic and beautiful in its own right. But the owner, my ex-husband, will grant access if you can track him down and if you know the secret password! haha It looks so much like Fort Gorges!! Crazy! I filmed a movie about the French revolution in ours! It was so cool!! Especially at night though a tad creepy! Maybe that two story room without windows was the main magazine room. It would have to be kept dry so it would make sense why there were no windows. They usually have one very large one then smaller rooms all around the perimeter which would explain those smaller rooms that seem to have no use. And for sure, the rooms with the crown mouldings and corbels would have been the officer's quarters and even a General! They wanted for nothing and always had the best of the best! What I can't understand is how they built these amazing structures, in that time period, in the middle of the lake or other bodies of water. Either that was a man made island or they built it out in the shape of the fort. But how on Earth did they build them with virtually horse and buggies! You never see pictures or depictions of them being built and these forts are literally everywhere!! Even in places that were unpopulated and very difficult to get to. Canada is full of them as well though many were destroyed which seems like quite a feat with granite walls several feet thick! Even how they found and quarried the granite must have been quite the feat, let alone how they transported those huge stones on land and then on water. In Canada they were built when very few Europeans were here and I just find it baffling that they were able to locate the quarries and produce that much stone!! And they all are constructed from the exact same stone from Northern Canada all the way to the Caribbean islands and into Mexico, central and South America which is interesting. But they are literally everywhere in the world and no matter where, they all pretty much look the same with a few shape variations. Lake Champlain had countless forts all the way down the shoreline though not many remain other than the outline and the few ruins that no one has stolen. And there's Fort Ticonderoga south of there which was fully restored at the turn of the last century which is gorgeous. And just across the border on the Quebec side there is Fort Lennox in the middle of the Richelieu River which is what Lake Champlain converts to at the the border and that one is fully restored and rather lovely. Just in case you ever decide to drive North and check some more forts out! I have the 411 on many it's a bit of a hobby of mine! You found yourself a real gem! It's lovely but sad that it's not maintained better but very few are sadly. This one is so much better off than most of them but I think being on an island it was harder for people ti destroy and steal from it. They don't seem to care too much about them. I don't think they should be privately owned because they aren't protected in any way, so if you buy one, you can literally knock it down and sell off the stone or blow it up if you so desire which I find terrifying!! My late father-in-law tried to donate the fort to the state, the county and the town and everyone said no!! They just don't care! So, future generations will only be able to see pictures of these beautiful pieces of our history and a pile of stone which is sad. I personally feel they should all be owned by organizations that maintain them and keep them open to the public and in good repair for many generations to come but sadly that's not happening. For all the forts you can still see, there are so many more that have been completely destroyed and built over and you'd never know they were there unless you find old maps which is what I do. So glad you got there to show everyone this beauty!! I hope you didn't mind the ramble, I just love our historic forts!! Safe travels and kindest regards from Montreal

looks like was refurbished from an older time period

Amo storage

It is much older

Stop swinging the camera back and forth so fast. The camera isn't fast enough and it tracks

Such a massive waste of effort and money to build that fort only to be rendered "obsolete" just after it was completed. Granted, it lived through the Civil War and both world wars, but it was never used as fortification except as a storage facility.

Every time I post a comment on your videos it gets deleted

The state of Maine must be broke The fort looks bad.. it would be a great tourist attraction. Camping. Overnight stays. The plant growth will destroy the roof of the building. It's to bad the state or city don't care about the fort

Have you ever given thought to how the materials were sourced, processed, and transported? Or the elaborate ways the fort was built with arches and angles. It does not fit the timeline. Just think of the whole process and how it would have been carried out. Not just a few paragraphs of repeated information anyone can find out.

On your next video you might not want to pan your camera back and forth so fast, do you ever watch you own videos? You do make watchers sick because of trying to focus on the fast moving visions.. really poor.

Your repeated narration isn't necessary... we are watching it and are not 3rd graders...

they may turn it into a homeless housing, seems like a good spot