Portland Head Light
The patriarch of Maine's lighthouses marks the state's busiest harbor, boasting a combination of historic significance and beauty which make it possibly the most visited, photographed and painted lighthouse in the United States. The setting particularly inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who found the tranquil beauty of the lighthouse well suited to writing poetry.
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Maine was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 18th century and Portland (known as Falmouth until 1786), had become one of the busiest ports in America by the late 1700s. There were no lighthouses in Maine when, in 1784, merchants petitioned the Massachusetts government for a light to mark the entrance to Portland Harbor.
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John Hancock was then governor of the Bay Colony and authorized construction. Delayed by insufficient funds, construction didn't begin until 1790 with the original plan for a 58-foot tower revised to 72 feet. President George Washington appointed the first keeper, Captain Joseph Greenleaf.
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Repairs were made to the station in 1810, with an outdoor oil shed added. In 1813 a new lantern and system of lamps and reflectors designed by Winslow Lewis was installed; a new keeper's house was built in 1816. A fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps and reflectors in 1855 and a bell tower was added at that time.
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Following the wreck of the Liverpool vessel Bohemian in which 40 immigrants died, the tower was raised 20 feet and a second-order Fresnel lens installed. However, with 1833, the tower was shorted 20 feet and the weaker fourth-order Fresnel lens returned.
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The former tower height and second order lens were restored in 1835 following mariners' complaints. A rock near the lighthouse marks the spot where, on Christmas Eve 1886, the British bark Annie C. Maguire ran ashore at Portland Head. The keeper's helped all on board to shore safely but the ship was destroyed by a storm on New Year's Day 1887.
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A new keeper's house was built in 1891; the station has changed little since then except for replacement of the Fresnel lens with a modern optic. The light was automated in August, 1989. Renovation of the keeper's quarters was accomplished in 1990 to create a museum, dedicated in 1992, now operated by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. Portland Head Light is adjacent to Fort Williams State Park.
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The above photo was taken from a Nikon Pronea S, scanned with a Nikon Ls-2000 scanner then adjusted in PhotoShop 5.5
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.