Portland Head Light - Cape Elizabeth, ME
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 43° 37.388 W 070° 12.475
19T E 402545 N 4830725
Portland Head Light is the first lighthouse built by the United States government, in 1787. It is located at 1000 Shore Rd. Cape Elizabeth, ME.
Waymark Code: WMWMH0
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2017
Views: 5
Portland Head Light is the oldest and arguably the most famous and photographed lighthouse in America built by the government. It was constructed at the direction of President George Washington and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton from a design by Jonathan Bryant and John Nichols in 1787.
This historic lighthouse is located in Cape Elizabeth at the entrance to Casco Bay and is now a part of Fort Williams Park. The light has been upgraded over the years. In 1855, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed only to be replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens. That in turn was replaced by an aero beacon in 1958 until a DCB-224 aero beacon was installed in 1991.
Portland Head Light is 80 feet above ground and 101 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. The DCB 224 beacon, rated at 200,000 candlepower, is visible from 24 miles out to sea. The grounds, and keeper's house are owned by the town of Cape Elizabeth, while the beacon, and fog signal are owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1973.
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