Portland Head Light
Year Built
1791
Cost
$1,500
Type
Conical
Height
80 feet
Location
Portland Head off Shore Rd., Cape Elizabeth
Automated Year
1989
First Lit
1791
Lens Type
Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), DCB 224 airport aerobeacon (current)
Fog Signal
Horn: every 15s
Year Deactivated
Active
Color
White with black trim
Last Keeper - Date
Nathan Wasserstrom (1986 – 1989)
Description
The tower was built of rubblestone, and the current keepers' house was built in 1891.
Brief History
• John Nichols finished the lighthouse and a small dwelling in late 1790.
• The light, powered by sixteen whale-oil lamps, first shone on January 10, 1791, following its dedication by Marquis de Lafayette.
• President Washington appointed Captain Joseph Greenleaf, a veteran of the Revolutionary War as the first keeper.
• Contractor Winslow Lewis suggested removing the poorly built upper section, which would provide a deck for a lantern ten feet in diameter. Lewis carried this out in 1813, at which time he also installed a new lamp and reflector lighting system of his own design for $2,100.
• The Town of Cape Elizabeth was given a lease to the property in 1990, and two years later, the Museum at Portland Head Light opened in the keeper’s dwelling.