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 Portland, ME
Est 1791.
80 feet tall; light is 101 feet above water
Historian Edward Rowe Snow wrote, "Portland Head and its light seem to symbolize
the State of Maine -- rocky coast, breaking waves, sparkling water and clear,
pure salt air." The 400,000 people who visit this site each year would probably
agree.
Jeremy’s Lighthouse Guide #35
In the 18th century Maine was part of Massachusetts. Portland, known as Falmouth
until 1786, was a booming port, America's sixth busiest by the 1790s. The lighthouse
here was established in January 1791. President George Washington appointed Captain
Joseph Greenleaf, a Revolutionary War veteran, as the first keeper.
 A frequent visitor to Portland Head in his younger years was Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow, who was born in Portland. Longfellow's poem "The Lighthouse" was inspired
in part by his many hours spent at Portland Head Light.
Captain Joshua Strout, a native of Cape Elizabeth and a former sea captain, became
keeper in 1869. A parrot named Billy was a well-known member of the Strout household.
When bad weather approached, Billy would tell Keeper Joshua, "Joe, let's start
the horn. It's foggy!"
Life for keepers at Portland Head Light was quite different from the popular
image of the solitary lighthouse keeper. Constant tourists were, and still are,
a way of life. When Earle Benson was keeper in the 1950s, a woman walked right
into the keeper's house and sat at the kitchen table. The woman insisted that
Benson and his wife were government employees, and she demanded service.
In 1992, the Museum at Portland Head Light opened in the former keeper's house.
The museum focuses on the history of the lighthouse and nearby Fort Williams.
The museum is open June through October. It’s also a treat to see this lighthouse
from the sea; some tour boats out of Portland offer excellent views.
For more HISTORY on this lighthouse please click here
Copyright 2005 by Jeremy D'Entremont,New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont. |
