Yarmouth Scout Troop 35 in front of the WWII fort on Peaks Island, Battery Steele. Scout Malcolm Nelson, leader of the project, holds the American flag in the center. Contributed / Joan Murray
The World War II military fort on Peaks Island, once poised to defend the United States from German attacks, has been lifted from the modern muck so visitors can better appreciate its history.
Seventeen-year-old Malcolm Nelson organized the restoration of the Battery Steele fort as an Eagle Scout project, the highest rank in the Scouts earned by planning and executing a community-oriented project. He was a senior at Yarmouth High School and in his senior year in Scouts. He wanted to do a project on Peaks Island, where his grandfather grew up and where Nelson returned during his youth.
“The reason I chose that as my project was because that’s where I grew up,” Nelson said. “And so I have a connection to the island, and to that fort in particular, because me and my friends used to go there, me and my cousins, when I was really little.
“It is actually always present, a place that I have known for so long… my life has changed over time, but that place has always remained the same. So it’s… cool. It’s like a time capsule in a way,” Nelson said.
But Nelson noticed small changes over the years he visited the site. There was more graffiti on the fort’s walls and the paths were taken over by plants and mud puddles, he said.
“It’s just a great place. It has some great views. And so recently I saw it falling into disrepair, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I ask if I can help?’
Troop 35 and company are working on Nelson’s project. Contributed / Joan Murray
Battery Steele is on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by Peaks Island Land Preserve. For most of the year, the Battery Steele entrance is inaccessible to people with disabilities because the ground floods and becomes muddy, said Christopher Jenkins, treasurer of the Peaks Island Land Preserve.
“Because Battery Steele was built during World War II, many older people have heard of it and would like to see it, but for much of the year they can’t,” Jenkins said.
Working with Jenkins, Nelson created the plan to build a wooden bridge that made most of Battery Steele wheelchair accessible; clear mud that had seeped onto the path; and trim overgrown vines and brush 6 feet from the path. An Eagle Scout project requires everything to be planned and documented to be approved by the Pine Tree Council: the materials for the project, the schedule for the day, first aid, even meals for each participant.
On September 28, the project was completed in one day, much faster than typical Eagle Scout projects. The team of 20 people – the Scouts of Yarmouth Troop 35, Nelson’s parents and uncle, and Jenkins – worked under Nelson’s direction from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They had a 30-minute break for lunch, Nelson added.
“(Nelson) organized it all. He asked the right questions. He made sure the right people did the right thing. It was a very good operation he had. I like it when I just have to do what I have to do,” said Todd Riddle, Nelson’s scoutmaster who has led Nelson’s troops since he was in first grade.
Fellow Troop 35 Scout Mathieu Charrette helped with the project, assisting with the carpentry for the bridge and clearing vines. Charrette has been a scout alongside Nelson for 11 years and has already completed his Eagle Scout project.
“It was a really fun project to work on,” Charrette said of the day she worked on Peaks Island.
“It was amazing to watch, from beginning to end. It was really cool to see Nelson’s project really come to life,” he said.
It wasn’t just childhood memories that inspired Nelson to complete this project, but also the fort’s connection to Casco Bay’s military history. During World War II, Battery Steele was built to serve as a naval base for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet and was a crucial post in the battle against German U-boats. Anticipating a German attack, many Casco Bay islands were fortified with gun batteries, although there were never major conflicts in the area. The Peaks Island fortress is one of the largest batteries ever built in the United States.
“I thought this was an army spot, a World War II spot, and I think we should show it a little more respect than just dropping it in the woods,” Nelson said.
Although the Pine Tree Council has not yet awarded Nelson the rank of Eagle Scout — he still needs two merit badges and must appear before a review committee — he said he took great satisfaction from the project. Both he and Jenkins said Peaks Island residents have shown their appreciation for the project.
“When I was done, and I looked at the before and after pictures, it was something that I really enjoyed because I saw it change from what it was to, you know, something that looked a lot better… I got real satisfaction out there,” Nelson said.
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