Ed_PFF
Portland Head Light ~ Portland ME
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor in the Gulf of Maine. Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington and was completed on January 10, 1791; it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855 a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that lens was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced later by an aero beacon in 1958. That lens was updated with an DCB-224 aero beacon in 1991. The light station is now automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard. The former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.
Portland Head Light ~ Portland ME
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor in the Gulf of Maine. Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington and was completed on January 10, 1791; it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855 a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that lens was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced later by an aero beacon in 1958. That lens was updated with an DCB-224 aero beacon in 1991. The light station is now automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard. The former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.