main pic
Portland Head Light

index pic

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.