Civil War-era fort up for sale on eBay

Fort Montgomery, a Civil War-era fort built in 1844, is up for sale on eBay. This is the first time the fort, which was manned during the war but never saw any action, has been formally up for sale according Victor Podd of Boca Raton, Fla., whose family has owned the fort for 23 years.

The limestone fort sits on a Lake Champlain island in northern New York and is connected to the mainland by a 700-foot causeway. The full package offered on the auction website includes 6,900 feet of Lake Frontage and 279 acres on the adjacent mainland.

As of Saturday morning, the top bid for the property was $1,000,300.00.

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 $9.9 million, but declined to specify an exact figure. The online auction ends June 5.

View: eBay Auction