Spring Point Ledge Light

Year Built

1897

Cost

$45,000

Type

Conical "Spark Plug"

Height

54 feet

Location

Spring Point Ledge, Portland Harbor, South Portland

Automated Year

1960

First Lit

1897

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

Horn: 1 every 10s

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White on black pier with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Joseph Bakken (1954 – )

Description

The lighthouse has a storeroom and cistern in the basement, topped by four levels including a keeper's office and two levels of living quarters.

Brief History

•  Construction began on Spring Point Ledge in August 1896 with the leveling of the rock that would serve as a foundation for the lighthouse.
•  William A. Lane, transferred from the lighthouse tender Myrtle, lit the lamp of Spring Point Lighthouse as its first keeper on May 24, 1897.
•  In May 1898, mariners were informed that Spring Point Ledge Light, along with the nearby lights at Portland Head and Portland Breakwater, would be discontinued.
•  In 1960, the station was automated, and the Fresnel lens replaced by a 300mm lens.
•  In 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in Michigan on behalf of the Coast Guard to recover the Fresnel lens used in Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse.