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 that once was ready to defend the United States against German attack has been pulled from modern-day 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 that is earned through planning and executing a community-focused project. A senior at Yarmouth High School and in his last year in Scouts, he wanted to do a project on Peaks Island, where his grandfather grew up and where Nelson returned to throughout his childhood.

“The reason that I chose that as my project was because I had grown up there,” said Nelson. “And so I have a connection to the island, and that fort specifically, because me and my friends would always go over there, me and my cousins when I was really little.

“It’s kind of always present, a place that I’ve known for so long now … my life has changed throughout times, but that place specifically has kind of always stayed the same. So, it’s … cool. It’s kind of like a time capsule in a way,” said Nelson.

But Nelson noticed small changes over the years of visiting the site. There was more graffiti on the fort’s walls and the pathways were taken over by plants and mud puddles, he said.

“It’s just a great place. It’s got some great views. And so, I saw recently that it was falling into some disrepair, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I ask if I can help?’”

Troop 35 and company working on Nelson’s project. Contributed / Joan Murray

Battery Steele is on the National Register of Historic Places and owned by Peaks Island Land Preserve. For most of the year, the entrance to Battery Steele is inaccessible to those with disabilities because the ground gets flooded and muddy, said Christopher Jenkins, treasurer of the Peaks Island Land Preserve.

“Because (Battery Steele) was built in World War II, a lot of elderly people have heard of it and would like to see it, but they can’t for a good chunk of the year,” said Jenkins.

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 trail; and trim overgrown vines and brush 6 feet back from the trail. For an Eagle Scout project, everything needs to be planned and documented to get approved by the Pine Tree Council: the materials for the project, the schedule of the day, first aid, even meals for every participant.

On Sept. 28, the project was completed in a 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. until 5 p.m. They had a 30-minute break for lunch, Nelson added.

“(Nelson) organized it all. He asked the right questions. He got the right people doing the right thing. It was a really good operation he had going. I like it when I just have to do what I’m supposed to do,” said Todd Riddle, Nelson’s scout master who has been leading Nelson’s troop 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,” said Charrette of the day working on Peaks Island.

“It was great to see, just from the beginning to end. It was really cool to see (Nelson’s) project really come to life,” he said.

It was not only memories from his childhood that inspired Nelson to complete this project, but also knowing 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 critical post in the battle against German U-boats. Anticipating a German attack, many Casco Bay islands were fortified with gun batteries, though the area never saw large conflict. The Peaks Island fort is one of the largest batteries ever built in the United States.

“I figured this is a place where the military was, a place from World War II, and I think we should be showing it a little bit more respect than just letting it fall away into the woods,” said Nelson.

While the Pine Tree Council has yet to grant Nelson the rank of Eagle Scout – he needs two more merit badges and to sit before a board of review – he said he got great satisfaction out of the project. Both he and Jenkins said that Peaks Island residents have shown their appreciation for the project.

“When I was done, and I looked at the before pictures and the after pictures, it was something that I actually really enjoyed, because seeing it go from what it was to, you know, something that looked way better … I got real satisfaction out of that,” said Nelson.