A US Civil War-era fort has been put up for sale on eBay. Fort Montgomery, built in 1844, has so far attracted a top bid of £780,000 ($1m) in an online auction that ends on June 5.

The limestone fort, which was manned during the war but never saw action, sits on a Lake Champlain island in northern New York and is connected to the mainland by a 700ft causeway. The full package offered on the auction site includes 6,900ft of lake frontage and 279 acres on the adjacent mainland.

“This is the first time it’s been formally for sale,” said Victor Podd of Boca Raton, Florida, whose family has owned the fort for 23 years.

In 1935, about 80% of the structure was demolished and it has since been prey to vandalism.

Podd’s late father, Victor, purchased the fort and surrounding property in 1983 to build the headquarters of his company Powertex.

A few years ago, the state declined the Podds’ offer to donate the fort and 68 acres of land for use as a state park.

Podd, who now owns the fort with his brother, Stephen, said its reserve price was below $9.9m(£7.75m), but declined to specify an exact figure.

Posted: 05|21|06 at 8:34 am. Filed under: Auction News.