Cape Elizabeth Light (Two Lights)
The entrance to Portland Harbor was marked with a 50-foot stone black and white pyramidal day beacon placed in 1811 at the site of the present Cape Elizabeth Light, about eight miles southeast of Portland. Captain John Smith had named the area in honor of Princess Elizabeth, daughter of King James I and Queen Anne of Denmark.
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In 1827 the initial stone marker was demolished when the first pair of lighthouses was built. The east light was located at the site of the old marker, with the inner light directly to the west. Mariners aligned the two 65-foot rubble stone towers in order to position a vessel properly in the channel into Portland Harbor. The west light was discontinued in 1855 by the Lighthouse Board.
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Subsequently, local fishermen and lobstermen protested the inactivation of the light, whereupon it was reestablished in 1855. Fresnel lenses were installed in both towers in 1855 and in 1865 both were repainted. To aid in daytime recognition, four horizontal red bands were painted in the east tower and a single broad vertical stripe added to the west tower.
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In 1874 the original Two Lights were replaced by new 67-foot cast iron towers 300 yards apart, with second order Fresnel lenses installed in each. The west light was briefly discontinued in 1882, but was relit after complaints that the east light was easily confuse with nearby Wood Island Light.
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For a time both towers were painted brown, but have been white since 1902. In 1924 the government mandated that all twin light stations be reduced to single lights; the west light at Cape Elizabeth was then permanently discontinued. Subsequently, the property was sold to several private owners, renovated and restored.
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The remaining lighthouse was automated in 1963 and the 1,800-pound Fresnel les removed in 1994. Visible for 27 nautical miles, the active, functioning east tower is the most powerful on the New England coast at four million candle power. The 1878 Victorian keeper's house is now privately owned.
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The assistant keeper's house was incorporated into a new home. Cape Elizabeth Light was the subject of two Edward Hopper paintings, one of which was reproduced on a 1970 issue postage stamp commemorating Maine's 150th anniversary. Recently a significant addition to the former keeper's house was under taken.
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All text copyright ã 1999 by Courtney Thompson/CatNap Publications. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.
All images copyright ã 2000 by Richard Asarisi/Photoworkings.com. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.