Fort Knox State Historic Site

A granite 1800s fort on the Penobscot River, paired with an elevator ride up the Penobscot Narrows Bridge observatory.

740 Fort Knox Rd · Prospect, ME

About Fort Knox State Historic Site

Fort Knox was built between 1844 and 1869 to guard the Penobscot River, and it was Maine's first fort made entirely of granite. It never saw combat, and on a self-guided visit you can walk its granite passageways and powder magazines and see Rodman guns in the water batteries. A combined ticket adds the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, where an elevator rises 420 feet to a 360-degree view of the river and bay.

#historic fort
#state historic site
#observation deck
#civil war history

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Fort Knox State Historic Site, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
Iconic
Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Observatory
Under $25
Ride an elevator up a bridge tower to a glass-walled observatory 447 feet above the Penobscot River.
0.4 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
Fort Point State Park
Under $25
Picnic by the water, walk to Fort Point Light and the remains of 1759 Fort Pownall, or fish from the pier at the tip of a peninsula on Penobscot Bay.
7.1 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors
Museums
Penobscot Marine Museum
Under $25
Maine's oldest maritime museum, focused on the state's seafaring and shipbuilding past.
9.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Wilson Museum
No admission fee
A Castine museum founded in 1921 that offers fossils, early tools, regional history, and hands-on learning on Penobscot Bay.
13 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Outdoor Adventure
Downeast Acadia
No admission fee
Maine's Downeast and Acadia region, from Acadia National Park to the tidal bays of Washington and Hancock Counties.
Transit: reachable by public transit
32 mi awayMore like this
Sightseeing
Iconic
Bass Harbor Head Light Station
$25–$50
See an 1858 lighthouse perched on the rocky southwest tip of Mount Desert Island from overlooks and a cliffside stairway.
33 mi awayMore like this