Portland Head Light, Historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, United States
The Portland Head Light rises 24 meters above the rocky shore, with a white cylindrical tower topped by a black lantern room.
The lighthouse construction began in 1787 under George Washington's directive, making it the oldest lighthouse in Maine when completed in 1791.
The maritime museum inside the former keeper's house presents navigation instruments, documents, and photographs documenting the coastal navigation history.
Fort Williams Park provides access to the lighthouse grounds daily from sunrise to sunset, though the tower remains closed to visitors.
The lighthouse employs a DCB-224 airport beacon that projects light visible for 24 nautical miles, flashing every four seconds to guide ships.
Location: Cape Elizabeth
Inception: January 1791
Height: 24.38 m
Made from material: stone
GPS coordinates: 43.62306,-70.20778
Latest update: May 26, 2025 21:32
Lighthouses tell the history of sailing with their shapes and building styles. Some go back to Roman times, like the Tower of Hercules in Galicia, a structure from the second century still working today. Others are from the Middle Ages, such as the Hook Lighthouse in Ireland, with its six-meter-thick stone walls. Later times left marks on the coast as well. The Kõpu Lighthouse in Estonia was built in 1531, and many from the 19th century can be seen along North American shores. These towers stand in very different places. The Hatteras Lighthouse is easy to spot with its black and white spiral stripes on the North Carolina coast. Peggy's Point rises over granite rocks in Nova Scotia. Further south, the Eclaireurs Lighthouse watches over a small island in the Beagle Channel, near Ushuaia. In Europe, the Lindau Lighthouse has a clock you can see from Lake Constance, while Fanad Head marks the entrance to an Irish fjord. Each one adapts to local conditions, whether it's cliffs, reefs, or harbor entrances.
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