Part of our in-depth series exploring the forts of Northern Early America
Fort Point State Historic Site
c/o Bureau of Parks and Lands
106 Hogan Road
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207-941-4014
Picnic tables with a waterfront view, pier and floats for fishing and boating, and access to a scenic bicycling trip are some of the top reasons to visit Fort Point State Historic Site. Located about three miles off U.S. Route 1 in Stockton Springs, and named for the point of which Gov. Thomas Pownall established Fort Pownall in 1759, Fort Point State Park occupies a long peninsula with panoramic views of the Penobscot River and Penobscot Bay. On its 120 acres, the park features more than a mile of rocky shore, a tidal sandbar, and diverse habitat for a variety of plants and animals. Opened in 1974, the park also includes Fort Point State Historic Site and the Fort Point Light Station.
The remains of Fort Pownall contain interpretive panels and a stone marking the original burial site of Gen. Samuel Waldo for whom Waldo County and Waldoboro are named.
Just a short walk from the parking lot, visitors can relax at riverside picnic sites and fuel up for hiking, sightseeing, bicycling, fishing, or paddling. Gentle trails lead hikers through field and forest to rocky shores and historic sites. Interpretive signs describe Fort Point's history as a military, maritime, and tourist center. Using the roads, bicyclists leave the parking lot to ride to the lighthouse or to begin the seven-mile loop around Cape Jellison. Winter visitors go cross-country skiing on the park's hiking trails and closed roads.
Location
Off U.S. Route 1 in Stockton Springs, on the tip of a peninsula jutting into scenic Penobscot Bay.
Operation Dates
Memorial Day - Labor Day, Fee Charged
Facilities
154 acres; picnicking; fishing; two-hundred-foot pier accommodates visitors arriving by boat; adjacent to historic Fort Pownall and Fort Point Light, a lighthouse dating from 1836.
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