A Visit To Fort Stark

Welcome to Fort Stark State Historic Site! Located on Jerry’s Point, in New Castle, NH, this post was first fortified in 1746. Fort Stark was one of seven forts built to protect the early colonists at Portsmouth Harbor. Over the years, Fort Stark has been rebuilt and rearmed many times. The name Fort Stark came after the Battle of Bennington in 1777, in honor of the commander of New Hampshire’s forces, John Stark. 

Getting to Fort Stark requires crossing at least one bridge, as it is on an island. New Castle is an island at the edge of New Hampshire's border with Maine. You'll drive past several hotels and residential areas before turning down a street lined with houses. At the very end lies Fort Stark, overlooking the water. The fort is open to the public 10:00am-6:00pm everyday. There is no charge for entry, but the parking lot is small and can fill up quickly on the weekends. On weekdays, and over the winter, the park is less busy and typically pretty quiet. This year, Fort Stark has been added to the Discover the Power of the Parks program. On Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the summer, Ranger Logan will be at the park to give interpretive talks about the area and open the Ordinance Machine Shop Museum to visitors. For exact times and dates, please visit the NH state parks website and DPP schedule. 

The fort is situated to overlook the Piscataqua River, Little Harbor, and the Gulf of Maine. From the top of the hill, visitors can also get a view of the Portsmouth lighthouse and Whaleback lighthouse. The beaches are rocky, and although some visitors do swim there, you must be careful of the outgoing tide, which can be quite strong. Other recreational activities include fishing, kayaking, and even scuba diving. There are several picnic tables in the grass, making it an ideal location to have a relaxing lunch and enjoy the great outdoors.

The museum is located inside the Ordinance Machine shop, built in 1910. Although it is not open everyday, it has a lot of good information if you can visit when it is. There are many artifacts and pictures of Fort Stark from over the years located inside the museum, including one of the 3-inch guns that were used to protect the harbor. After WWII, the fort was deactivated and turned over to the U.S. navy, who used it as a reserve training center until 1980. It was then turned over to the state of New Hampshire, who turned it into a state historic site, and have been in charge of it ever since. Even if the museum is not open, the walk around the fort is still a wonderful experience. You can see several o the 100+ year old buildings that are still standing today. If you would like more information during your walk, there is a guided tour map on the parks website that labels all the buildings and gives some background on them.

The Fort is a great place to visit for historians, nature lovers, and those just looking for a quiet place to get away.