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Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Portland Harbor/Casco Bay
Closest City: South Portland, Maine
Latitude: 43.652333 Longitude: -70.224117
Body of Water: Casco Bay
Open to Public: Yes
Station Established: 1897
Present Tower Activated: 1897
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 54 ft.
Optic: 300mm,
Fifth Order Fresnel, 1897
National Register Reference #: 87002279
Listing Name: Spring Point Ledge Light Station
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This submerged ledge located on inner Portland Harbor has been reponsible for many a shipwreck. The Spring Point Ledge lighthouse was not built until 1897, but wrecks are recorded well back into the early 1800s. Despite numerous catastrophes in the 1820s and 1830s, the federal government's view was that the Portland Breakwater lighthouse, more than a mile away, was a sufficient guide for the harbor. As a compromise, a buoy was placed to assist local mariners around this treacherous spot.
The nautical catastrophes continued, however. In the early 1890s, a consortium of steamship companies jointly urged the Lighthouse Board to add a lighthouse to Spring Point Ledge. Their argument included the fact that the combination of their seafaring operations moved more than half a million people per year past the ledge. To leave it essentially unmarked presented a monumental risk for loss of life. The Lighthouse Board, in agreement with the persuasive commentary presented, petitioned Congress for the funds to build the Spring Poing Ledge lighthouse. It wasn't until 1895, however, that Congress approved $20,000 to start construction on a light and fog station.
Finally, in May of 1897, after several delays due to inclement weather and rework due to poor workmanship, the 54 foot high Spring Point Ledge lighthouse was lit. As with the light in the Lubec Channel, the Spring Point Ledge lighthouse is a "spark plug" style facility with a prefabricated cast iron tower sporting three galleries and the lantern resting atop a brick caisson that envelopes the two-story keeper's quarters.
For 54 years, the Spring Point Ledge lighthouse stood isolated on Portland Harbor with no direct access from shore. In 1951, however, after being nothing more than a plan for over 100 years, a 900 foot breakwater from the shore out to the lighthouse was constructed using 50,000 tons of granite. To this day, Spring Point Ledge remains the only caisson-style U.S. lighthouse directly accessible from land and only one of two open to the public for tours.
The light was converted from kerosene to electricity in 1934 and later automated in the 1960s. The original fifth-order Fresnel lens has been replaced by a 300mm optic. In 1998, ownership of the Spring Point Ledge lighthouse was transferred to the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust under the Maine Lights Program. The canopy and caisson have been repaired and updated in recent years. The breakwater connects the lighthouse to the campus of the Portland Harbor Museum, which lies within the granite walls of 19th century Fort Preble. For tour information, call 207-799-6337.
Lighthouse Accessibility
- The Spring Point Ledge lighthouse site is open to the public.
(207-799-6337).
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