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Sunrise Lighthouse - Portland Head
Available Framed or Unframed |
Portland Head Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Portland Harbor/Casco Bay
Closest City: Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Latitude: 43.623348 Longitude: -70.207299
Body of Water: Casco Bay
Open to Public: Site: Yes
Tower: No
Station Established: 1791
Present Tower Activated: 1791
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 80 ft.
Optic: DCB-224 Rotating, 1991
Second Order Fresnel, 1864
Fourth Order Fresnel, 1855
Second Order Bi-Valve, 1791
National Register Reference #: 73000121
Listing Name: Portland Head Light
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The Portland Head lighthouse was the first major project undertaken by the new U.S. government as well as the first lighthouse in Maine. Originally started by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1787, responsibility for the Portland Head lighthouse was transferred to the U.S. government in 1789 with the passage of one of the earliest federal laws creating a "Lighthouse Establishment" which would later evolve as the Lighthouse Service. The new law provided for the U.S. government to take ownership of eleven active Atlantic coast lighthouses. Portland Head could not be included in this list as it had not yet been completed. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which included the District of Maine at the time, was unable to make substantial
progress on the lighthouse due to severe financial burden left over from the Revolutionary War. President George Washington, however, understood the importance of ocean and river commerce to the success of the young nation and was able to procure $1,500 from the U.S. Congress to complete construction. Washington directed the tower's builders to use stones from nearby fields and drag them to the site using oxen to keep costs manageable.
The first to be completed by the U.S. government, construction of the roughly 70 foot, rubblestone Portland Head lighthouse tower wrapped up in late 1790 and the lantern was first lit in January of 1791. The light was equipped with a second order bi-valve lens which remained in service until 1855 when it was replaced by a fourth order Fresnel lens. That same year, the Lighthouse Board ordered the interior of the tower to be lined with brick. A spiral metal stairway was also added. A 2,000 pound fog bell was also installed in 1855 and remained in service until September, 1869 when a powerful gale ripped it from its house and deposited it amongst the rocks. In 1872, the Lighthouse Board brought the old Daboll trumpet fom Monhegan Island to serve as the audible alarm until 1887.
During the civil war, shipping in Portland Harbor commonly came under attack. The tower was raised to a height of 80 feet in 1864 to extend its visibility as well as warn ships of the nearby Alden's Rock and Bulward Shoals. Its height of focal plane stands at 101 feet above the water. A second order Fresnel lens was added at the same time. The fourth order lens was re-installed in 1883 but replaced again by the second order lens in 1885. A fog signal house was added in 1880 and a two-story, wood frame, duplex keeper's residence was constructed in 1891. The site also sports a brick oil house pre-dating 1891. The fog signal building was destroyed by a storm in 1975 but rebuilt that same year and stands in front of the tower. The tower and keeper's quarters are joined by a wooden workroom.
The Portland Head lighthouse is located on the southwest side of the entrance to Portland Harbor on a beautifully scenic headland. While establishing a number of firsts in its long history, the Portland Head light was one of the last to be automated in 1989. Two years later, the 200,000 candlepower second order Fresnel lens visible for 16 miles was replaced by a modern DCB-224 rotating beacon with a flashing white light visible up to 25 mile at sea. In 1993, the Town of Cape Elizabeth was deeded the property after having leased it for three years. The Portland Head Light Museum & Gift Shop (207-799-2661), open daily in the summer and on weekends during spring and fall, is located on the ground floor of the keeper's residence. While the site is open to the public daily, the tower remains an active aid to navigation and is closed to visitors.
Lighthouse Accessibility
- The Portland Head lighthouse site (excluding the tower)
is open to the public (207-799-2661).
- The lighthouse is located in Fort Williams Park in
Cape Elizabeth.
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