Pokemon Go players banned from historic fort in US for allegedly damaging it

Fairhaven, Mass. — Caretakers of a Revolutionary War-era fort in Massachusetts are complaining that “Pokemon Go” players are damaging the historic site.

Gary Lavalette, a volunteer caretaker at the Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, near the Rhode Island state line, says people have been leaving trash, vandalizing historic structures and publicly urinating.

He told WLNE-TV that trash recently filled up a large dumpster, a stone wall was taken apart with a crowbar and parts of the property look like a “mine field” because people are digging up the ground.

The Fairhaven Historical Commission has said hundreds of players of the smartphone game have been flocking to the fort, oftentimes late at night, because it’s where a rare Pokemon can be found.

The fort was attacked and destroyed by the British in 1778 but later rebuilt.