EAST MACHIAS, Maine — It took an hour and a half, but in the end, 16-year-old Ryan Prescott found what he was looking for — the remains of Fort Foster in the woods off Rim Road in East Machias.
“So this has been here for about 240 years,” Prescott said, smiling as he walked around an area where two man-made berms met and squared off not far from the water’s edge. “Just imagine a fleet of ships out there.”
Prescott is founder of Abandonment of Maine, a club for those interested in exploring abandoned and historic sites. Each summer, he leads two or three expeditions for family and friends.
“A lot of it is about the hunt, really,” he said May 30 on the way to look for Fort Foster, which was involved in a Revolutionary War battle on Aug. 15, 1777.
Machias Historical Society member Valdine Atwood confirmed the fort was part of the Battle of the Rim.
“They tried to defend themselves [at the fort] but there was too strong of a British force,” said Atwood.
The British turned around, however, after encountering about 100 settlers and about 40 Native Americans making “war whoops” that echoed around the river valley. Atwood said the British were convinced they dare not attack because the Americans had a large regiment there.
Fort Foster is but one of the areas explored by Prescott and Abandonment of Maine, which began in 2012.
“It actually started on a whim really. I was totally out of things to do on an afternoon in eighth grade,” Prescott said.
He and a friend went for a walk down an old road. Prescott posted a video of the walk and got the idea to do more. Eventually he made an Abandonment of Maine website. The group can also be found on Facebook.
The website says it’s important to leave things as they are found. And don’t leave anything behind.
“Nothing pains me more than to see a beer can … or three or nine strewn about the remnants of a significant historical site,” the Abandonment of Maine website says. “Just pocket your trash and throw it somewhere more suitable.”
Prescott connects with and even gives advice to others with similar hobbies who find the Facebook page.
“I definitely stress gaining permission to the sites you’ll be exploring,” he tells a poster asking for advice on getting started exploring. “We mostly do rural explorations where there aren’t many buildings to speak of, and many people might not want to give permission for buildings that are in a deteriorating state and may be a hazard. So you might not have much luck getting into certain structures.”
“He does it the right way,” said Harold Prescott, Ryan’s father. “He doesn’t go crawling around in places where he’s not supposed to be.”
Ryan Prescott asked around to learn the Fort Foster property is owned by blueberry producer Hennessey Brothers.
“I called one of the Hennesseys,” Ryan Prescott said. “He said, ‘go ahead.’ So I went ahead.”
Finding sites to explore involves word of mouth and the use of USGS topographical maps and tax maps.
“I have a strange habit of sitting hours and browsing aerial maps,” Ryan Prescott said.
Usually a videographer goes along on expeditions so video can be posted. But Ryan Prescott’s cousin, Clayton Coffin, 19, who usually does video, was unable to make it. Ryan Prescott went with his dad and his brother, Carson, 12.
“We used to mess around here when I was a kid but I never knew anything about it,” Harold Prescott said of the Fort Foster site.
The small group started off walking through the woods off a dirt road. They found a berm, which was obviously man made.
“I would have to guess that all these berms were pushed up here for a reason,” Ryan Prescott said. The berms would provide cover for soldiers at the fort.
Still, he was not convinced he found the fort. The three of them looked at a map and decided to keep going, checking out the blueberry barrens that began where the woods ended. They found two stone foundations, one of which had been filled with rock taken from the barrens. But they knew these were not the fort. They were too small, for one thing. They were probably the remains of settlers’ homes, they said.
Deciding the berm had been their best clue, they returned to the woods.
“If you don’t find it, I think you need to have somebody else bring you out and show you where it is,” Harold Prescott told his son.
Ryan Prescott wasn’t ready to accept defeat and he kept looking.
Eventually they found a spot where two berms intersected. It matched descriptions and photos Ryan Prescott had been given. They had found the fort.
After admiring their find for a few minutes, they decided it was time to go.
“Let’s get out of here,” Harold Prescott said, “[while] I still don’t have any ticks on me.”