Fort Williams United Kingdom Park Maine

The Portland Head Light: Find A Famous Maine Landmark With Portland Discovery Land & Sea Tours

Maine’s coastline is renowned for its seals, seabirds, lobsters, lighthouses and jagged, rocky cliffs jutting out in to the Atlantic Ocean. Among Maine’s numerous lighthouses, discover one which sticks out from all sleep. Situated in Cape Elizabeth, this popular and impressive structure is called the Portland Head Light.

Once you walk on the grounds of Fort Williams Park, you smell the salty ocean air, hear the sea waves crashing in the rocks, and discover the seagulls flying overhead. As rapidly, you find the magnificent Portland Head Light thrusting up into the coastal Maine sky. The lighthouse appears prominently over the adjacent structures. With white with red roofing, this striking picture will probably remind you of postcards and photographs you’ve seen often prior to. The reality is so it’s more impressive whenever seen in person.

A number of our top Portland Discovery Land and Sea Tours feature this iconic lighthouse, however before we let you know more about these, you may be wondering what precisely makes the Portland Head Light so special? Let’s take an instant walk-through its record.

Observing the Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park

Extracted from the Museum Guidebook (published by Kathleen Rummler), the story starts in 1776 during the outset of this Revolution. It absolutely was then your brand new Town of Cape Elizabeth posted eight troops at Portland check out alert citizens of feasible British assaults. In 1787, the overall legal of Massachusetts (the Massachusetts legislature) provided the green light (and $750) to kick-off lighthouse construction. In 1790, Congress provided $1, 500 toward its completion. When it ended up being finalized, the first tower measured 72′ from base to lantern deck. It had been first lit on January 10, 1791 with 16 whale oil lamps.

When Massachusetts Governor John Hancock signed a contract in 1790, building established regarding very first Keeper’s Quarters. In 1816, this was replaced by a one-story building, including two areas, a cellar, and a rear porch in 34′ x 20′ location. Over the years, different revisions (in other words. cast iron staircase, new Fresnel lens replacements) had been made, especially raising the tower by 20’ in 1865.

Exactly like with any lighthouse, Portland Head Light’s legend is passed down through generations. On Christmas Eve evening in 1886, the Annie C. Maguire vessel hit the ledge at Portland Head. With Keeper Joshua Strout responsible (with help from family members and volunteers), they brought all ship passengers to protection with a typical ladder used as a gangplank amongst the shore while the ship’s ledge. The reason for the wreck continues to be not known these days, particularly considering that the staff obviously saw the Portland Light before crashing.

The present-day Keepers Quarters building ended up being integrated 1891, and was house to lighthouse keepers and family members until 1989. After switching numerous hands of ownership, the home was deeded to Cape Elizabeth in 1993, although the US coast-guard maintains the particular light and fog-signal.