At the end of a residential street in New Castle, on the seacoast, sits one of New Hampshire's oldest historic sites.
But despite its importance, no street signs point out its location and it rarely sees visitors.
A local group of residents is working to change all that.
They want to put Fort Stark back on the map.
NHPR Correspondent Roger Wood reports.
New Castle’s Fort Stark, originally called the Battery at Jaffrey’s Point, dates back to 1746.
It was one of seven forts designed to guard Portsmouth Harbor in the years before the American revolution.
In more recent decades, however, the fort has fallen on hard times.
And it now depends on volunteers like David McGuckin.
He’s been coming by on Wednesdays to help clear the heavy underbrush that’s been overrunning the fort's ten acres.
“I'm doing this to help the friends of the New Castle Fort Stark Group. I don't think there is any work that is more important to this group than to clear the old junk out.”
The fort got its current name in 1900 after General John Stark who commanded the New Hampshire militia during the revolution.
It sits near the older, Fort Constitution.
It was there that local patriots seized gun powder used at the battle of Bunker Hill.
But Fort Stark’s history is a little more modest.
It did serve in several wars, including World War Two, but its cannons never fired a single shot at an enemy.
“There was a lot fired in practice.”
Restoration volunteer Carol White, whose family dates back 300 years in town. She says that many of the fortifications could be showcased.
“I would like to see a few of these gun emplacements here, some of these smaller gun emplacements that people could walk inside, and with some displays or sign-age on them to explain just what they were used for and how they were used.”
But even though it never played a significant role in battle, those like Carol White, trying to restore the fort claim it has historical importance.
“I would like it to be more than just a park to picnic at, I would like them to see the history and understand the value of this area and why it was so tactically valuable to the early settlers to protect against attacks.”
It was built in several stages, of stone, then brick and concrete.
And one of its more prominent features is the concrete Harbor Entrance Control Post.
Built in 1902, it resembles a Navy ship’s bridge in order to fool potential enemy vessels.
But that part is now in total disrepair and chained off to the public.
And while there is little hope of salvaging that building, some of the other fort features, are in relatively good condition.
New Castle resident Peter Rice is leading the volunteer effort.
“This would have been a big gun emplacement right here. This is in pretty good shape, from my perspective.”
Perhaps the most well-preserved building at the Fort is known as the machine shop, built in 1904.
Long-time New Castle resident Carol White, has helped turn it into a small museum.
“Someone suggested we come in here, and work in here. The rat droppings were horrible ….. and all the trash in here, and we have worked in here probably since the end of July, probably two months. And now it looks much different.”
The local volunteers are now getting some official attention.
State Representative David Borden, from New Castle has been pushing for state aid.
“The difficulty is that there are some things that need to be done. The park is not...sections of it aren't very safe, especially for children climbing around some of these old bunkers. And we did ask the state if they could do a little bit of work to make that more secure.”
The 10 acre Fort is part of the state park system.
And Allison McLean, State Park’s Director says some help is on its way.
“We are going to be providing some assistance, as far as sending our architectural and our engineering crew down to do an assessment and to determine what is feasible to be done, and also look at some of the safety issues that need to be taken care of.”
In the meantime, though, Peter Rice, and his volunteers plan to keep cutting down the undergrowth.
They’re trying to get rid of the bittersweet root vines that are choking trees.
They want to open up the beautiful view that was the reason for the fort in the first place.
They want visitors to be able to see Little Harbor, Portsmouth Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean.
“This has to be a gem, the crown jewel in the crown of the Seacoast parks system, that everybody, that will not exclude anybody, that everybody will enjoy.”
For NHPR News, this is Roger Wood.
