MaineMilitia.com

"Fort Knox was named after Major General Henry Knox, America's first Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery in the American Revolution. General Knox lived in Thomaston, Maine during the final years of his life. Army engineers began building the fort in July, 1844. It was more than likely that British ships would once more sail up the unprotected Penobscot River to take over Bangor, Maine's wealthy, unprotected lumber capital. To prevent this and possible future attacks, Fort Knox was built. Fort Knox saw two periods of military activity. Maine volunteers, as many as 117 were garrisoned here from 1863 to 1866, during the Civil War. In 1890, about 500 Connecticut troops were stationed at the fort during the Spanish-American War." quoted from their website.