Cape Elizabeth Lights

Year Built

1828

Cost

$4,250

Type

Conical tower attached to entrance tower; East tower conical without lantern

Height

636 feet

Location

Cape Elizabeth, at the southwestern entrance to Casco Bay

Automated Year

1963

First Lit

1874 (current tower)

Lens Type

2nd order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 (current)

Fog Signal

Horn: 2 every 60s

Year Deactivated

West tower was deactivated in 1924

Color

White with black trim, East Tower White.

Last Keeper - Date

Lennie Foster (at least 1919 – at least 1924)

Description

It was originally built in 1828 as two rubble stone towers 300 yards apart. A steam-driven warning whistle was installed in the nearby brick fog signal station in 1869, the first used in North America. In 1874, both structures were replaced by conical towers made of cast-iron, each 67 feet high and 129 feet above sea level.

Brief History

•  President John Quincy Adams selected Elisha Jordan as the first keeper from eighteen men vying for the position. Jordan had to “reside at the station and make it a habit to be home,” for which he received $425 annually over the next six years. His wife was his assistant.
•  In 1878, a new wood-frame, one-and-a-half-story dwelling was built for the principal keeper near the east tower, and the nearby old stone dwelling was repaired.
•  In 1924, the east light was changed from a fixed white, incandescent oil vapor light to a group flashing white, electric incandescent light, and the light in the west tower was discontinued.
•  The 1878 keeper’s house adjacent to the east tower has been privately owned for several decades and was purchased by William Kourakos for around $450,000 in 1995 after the previous owner died.
•  The east light is maintained by the Coast Guard and remains an active aid to navigation, although the tower itself was licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation in 2001.