Fort Stark State Historic Site

This place is incredibly interesting! It's in a state of unfortunate disrepair, so it's not possible to get up close to some structures, but there's still plenty to explore! It would be amazing if it was converted into a museum all about the history and purpose behind the coastal batteries. There is also plenty of beautiful scenery to admire! The gates get closed in the evening (the sign said 6 pm, but we got a warning at 7:30), so don't lose track of time. The police do show up to make sure everyone is out.

This was our first stop on our Portsmouth photo safari tour. Wonderful vestiges of concrete batteries and admittedly, if this facility was fully refurbished, pictures wouldn't be as interesting! Unfortunately, this also meant that there were many parts that were fenced off. Great historical spot with fantastic views!

Located at the end of a quiet lane in sweet little New Castle, early 20th c. Ft. Stark sits on a peninsula that straddles the Piscataqua River, Little Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. Built to protect the Portsmouth Shipyard, it never fired a shot during WWI and WWII. Thereafter, it was decommissioned and fell into disrepair. Now it’s great fun to enjoy the sandy beach(not much sand at high tide), and to climb the Fort’s steps to high ground and see the massive concrete cannon placements, admire the observation structure that was designed to appear like the superstructure of a warship from a distance, or just to sit on benches and enjoy the beautiful waterscape. The museum is open at the brick building in season. Admission is free. 2 outhouses are available.

This was my second visit to Ft Stark. I was hoping my previous experience was due to COVID. It wasn't. They call this site a "museum". The only thing remotely like a museum is that some buildings have signs on them, and you can download a self guided tour map. Most everything on the Fort is in drastic disrepair, and if they can't seal a building shut they do try to fence it off. Graffiti artists are taking over. They tried to shore up the crumbling walls by filling the cracks with caulk. The place is a disgrace, and more of a hazard every year. If they claim that this is in remembrance of those who served our Country... this is completely disrespectful! Probably the best thing the state can do with this place is to tear it down and clean out what is rotting there, and turn this into the beautiful ocean side park that could be enjoyed by many. Except that I am sure that the hoity toity neighbors there want the place to rot, so visitors will stay off their street, and would fight any effort to refurbish this site.

Cool place to walk around. Free parking. I spent about 30 minutes just wandering around.