<p >Whether dotting the coastline, guarding the banks of the Kennebec ordefending the Canadian border, Maine’s many forts have sheltered its towns andpeople since the seventeenth century. Both Fort Kent and Fort Fairfield werebuilt after the War of 1812 during the Aroostook War, when hostilities ragedbetween Mainers and British Canadians over the region’s rich timber stands.Portland Harbor’s Fort Preble became embroiled in the Civil War when aConfederate raider tried—and failed—to steal a ship from its waters. In thetwentieth century, Maine’s preservationists protected many of these citadels,including Fort Knox in Penobscot Bay, the largest and most elaborate of allMaine’s forts. Join local author Harry Gratwick as he uncovers stories ofadventure and bravery from the forts of Maine.</p><br>