I spotted this article today in the Portland Press Herald online. Fort Popham, in Phippsburg, Maine is in need of help.

Supporters hope they can hold the fort

By DENNIS HOEY, Portland Press Herald Writer
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

PHIPPSBURG — A Kennebec River fort that has charmed generations of Mainers with its scenery and Civil War era artillery emplacements is in danger of being closed to the public unless the state and a private group can raise enough money to repair it. But the effort is complicated by concerns among Popham Village residents that making the improvements could bring more traffic to the fort than the narrow road leading to it can handle.

A preliminary structural survey of the 1861 fort revealed numerous defects, with the most severe being extensive masonry erosion in the granite foundation, which is submerged at high tide.

No one is predicting the fort, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will fall into the river in the near future, but an engineer hired by the state warns that unless something is done, it might have to be closed because of safety concerns. Access to the second floor and roof area is already restricted.

The Friends of Phippsburg has set a goal of raising $2 million to stabilize the fort's cracked granite blocks, decaying brick mortar and leaky roof.

Read the Entire Article Here.