Advancing military technology, including iron clad ships and long range guns, rendered the fort obsolete before it could be used.

[3] Following the War of 1812, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed that a fort be built on Hog Island Ledge, in Casco Bay at the entrance to the harbor at Portland, Maine.

The walls of the fort were begun the next year, and when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, work quickly advanced.

During the modernization project, sod-covered sand was added to the top level of the fort to protect gun encasements and powder magazines from attacks.

[5] Friends of Fort Gorges initiated a $250,000 fundraising campaign for money to make critical repairs to the facility in the Summer of 2019.

[7] Previously, Portland developer Mike Dugay proposed converting the location into a commercial space to include a bed and breakfast, restaurant, and brewery.