ROUSES POINT, N.Y. (AP) - A U.S. Civil War-era fort is for sale on EBay.

Fort Montgomery, built in 1844, was manned during the 1861-1865 war but never saw any action.

"This is the first time it's been formally for sale," said 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 state and is connected to the mainland by a 213-metre causeway. The full package offered on the auction website includes 2,103 metres of lake frontage and 113 hectares on the adjacent mainland.

As of Saturday, the top bid for the property was $1 million.

In 1935, about 80 per cent 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 28 hectares of land for use as a state park.

Podd, who now owns the fort with his brother, Stephen, said its reserve price is below $9.9 million but declined to specify an exact figure. The online auction ends June 5.