Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series on the history of Fort Williams. The Cape Elizabeth Town Council is expected to vote later this summer on whether to charge a fee to park visitors to help pay for its upkeep. If adopted, it would be the first time the town has charged a fee to park visitors.

The fortification itself wasn’t given a name until April 13, 1899, when War Department General Order No. 17 established the Battery at Portland Head as a permanent and active military reservation changing the name to Fort Williams in honor of Maj. Gen. Seth Williams, a native of Maine with a long and distinguished military career.

A graduate of West Point, Williams was an artillery officer in the Mexican War and provided gallant and meritorious service with the Army of the Potomac during the Civil War. He was one of those present at Appomattox Court House in 1865 as Gen. Lee surrendered.

Shortly after being assigned to Philadelphia as adjutant general, Military District of the Atlantic, Williams became ill. He died in Boston, March 23, 1866, and is buried at Forest Grove Cemetery in Augusta.

Throughout the years of construction at the fortification, the government acquired various parcels of land, either from the owners or their heirs until the total area reached more than 90 acres with the final acquisition of the former Goddard Mansion.

Built of native stone in the Italianate style, the mansion was completed in 1858 for John Goddard, a former lumber baron. The main house with its three-story tower, ell and stables provided an elegant residence for his family.

After Goddard’s death and those of his children during the following years, his widow found she could no longer afford the taxes and upkeep. The government acquired the property to be included in the military installation then known as Fort Williams.

During 1903, the name of Maj. Gen. Francis P. Blair Jr., a veteran of the Mexican and Civil wars, was given to the fourth battery, located between the open area south of the lighthouse and the southern boundary where Col. Julius P. GareschA?© was honored for his service at the battle of Stone River, Tenn. The Colonel was killed in action Dec. 31, 1862.

Completion of the final battery in the series the following year honored Maj. Gen. Erasmus D. Keyes, a veteran of the War of 1812, IV Corps, Peninsular Campaign. Battery Keyes is located to the rear of the Goddard Mansion, north of Ship Cove.

Just prior to World War I this growing military installation contained the commander’s quarters, officers’ quarters, barracks for enlisted men, stables and blacksmith shop for the mules, maintenance buildings, an ammunition storehouse and other structures. The Goddard Mansion provided living quarters for four non-commissioned officers and their families.

During the years leading up to World War II, although still an active Army base, Fort Williams also became the location for a Civilian Conservation Corps processing center as well as training camp for Maine National Guard troops. Additional buildings were added to house the regimental band, a small hospital, nurse’s quarters, theatre, recreation building and gym, a PX (post exchange), bakery and a jail.

Among the units stationed there were the 240th Coast Artillery, 8th Coast Artillery, and the 5th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

Following Dec. 7, 1941, new draftees and enlistees were processed at Fort Williams before being sent by train from Portland to boot camp destinations elsewhere. The fort remained fully staffed until after the war. The soldiers’ children were absorbed into the Cape Elizabeth school system. The fort Fire Department answered calls with their own engine to support the town volunteers.

A wooden non-denominational chapel was built using money provided by the soldiers stationed at Fort Williams and was located at the end of the driveway leading along the northern boundary line from the Goddard Mansion to Shore Road. The Mansion’s former stable was converted to a non-commisioned officers club with funds and labor supplied by the soldiers.

The ballroom on the lower floor of the Mansion hosted many a festive occasion open to the public who rode the trolley as far as Cape Cottage before entering the grounds through the main gate.

The Maine National Guard held summer encampments at a large area along the southern boundary line, near Battery GareschA?©. The obsolete big guns had been sold for scrap during 1943; reductions in force after World War II left only a token force in place. Classified in 1960 as no longer useful, the installation was decommissioned. Contents of the buildings and all personnel records were removed and the property offered for sale by the General Services Administration.

The town of Cape Elizabeth purchased the now-defunct fort for $200,000 on Oct. 17, 1964, taking nearly 10 years to determine what the final use would be. In the meantime, most of the buildings had fallen into disrepair and, for safety reasons, were demolished.

Batteries Sullivan and DeHart were filled in. All that remains is the large concrete roof over the underground bunker that supported the big guns at each battery.

During the early 1970s, the town council appropriated money for the chapel to be used as a teen center. The chapel and the Mansion were destroyed by arson a few years later.

Nearing the close of the decade, a final decision had been made and approved by the town council to convert this important piece of national history to Fort Williams Park. It has been utilized extensively ever since. During the summer months, the park has hosted annual events such as the Portland Symphony’s concerts, the Beach to Beacon road race, and Family Fun Day.

Information and photos courtesy of Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society