Dubbed "Alcatraz of the East", the Portsmouth Naval prison in Kittery, Maine has some spectacularly interesting urban legends that saturate its history. 

As you can see in the sprawling video above, the Portsmouth Naval prison is an impressive and uninhabited landmark on the coast of Maine and New Hampshire. It holds the nickname of "The Castle", a reinforced concrete prison that was commissioned in the early 1900's. It has been abandoned since 1974 but still stands as one of the more amazing sights on the coastline.

The urban legends that have been told about that naval prison are just as fantastic as the majestic building itself. According to Seacoastonline.com, some of the myths and tales that have circulated for decades include stories about everyone from Walt Disney to legendary movie star Humphrey Bogart.

The urban legend about Walt Disney has been debunked, but still is amusing nonetheless. The story once told that Disney spent some time inside the prison and got his idea for Cinderella's castle from the design of the large structure. A documentary maker named Neil Novello, who chronicled the history of the naval prison, says that tall tale is completely false.

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However, the story behind Humphrey Bogart and his connection to the naval prison appears to be true, Bogart, serving as a naval officer, was attacked by a prisoner as he was escorting him to his cell. That prisoner caused so much damage that he left Bogart with his famous scar and a notable lisp.

The prison itself still continues to be unused. For years, there have been attempts by developers to transform the unused landmark into shopping centers or living quarters with no success. A Twitter user who was one of the few that got to see inside the prison in recent years, shared this photo on social media.

The prison has an incredible history for housing noted wartime criminals during both World War I and World War II. In Neil Novello's documentary "The Castle", he shares rare footage of German U-Boats surrendering to the United States right on the coastline. With a stunning history filled with rich stories both true and fictional, it makes you wonder....what other secrets does the Portsmouth Naval prison hold?

 

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