“On the Penobscot River, on the opposite bank from the once-upon-a-time paper mill, stands Fort Knox {in Prospect, Maine}, proudly named after the nation’s first secretary of war, Henry Knox, who lived in Thomaston, Maine. It was built between 1844 and 1869 {initially} to guard against the British in a border dispute with Canada. The fear was that if this part of Maine fell, the British would take over some of the best lumber-producing areas on the East Coast and this would cost the United States a most valued natural resource in the building of ships. Other than training recruits during the Civil War, the fort was never used and is now a scenic location overlooking the new bridge, crossing the Penobscot River.” 
 

― Captain Hank Bracker, "Seawater One: Going to Sea