This sturdy granite guardian graces the masthead of one of the Portsmouth daily newspapesr, but it is not technically in New Hampshire. Whaleback is the southernmost lighthouse in Maine.

The original 1831 tower was a rickety affair that leaked and rattled in storms, constantly rearranging the keepers’ furniture. But rebuilding was delayed until cracks in the tower left no alternative, and the lighthouse we know today finally was erected for $75,000 in 1872. The old tower remained standing next to the new one for a time, but eventually it was replaced by an unusual cast iron tower about half the size of the new lighthouse. This tower, painted red, served to house fog signal equipment.

There was never a separate keeper’s house; the keepers always lived inside the old and new towers. Keeper Leander White nearly drowned inside the tower when massive waves smashed through a window during an 1886 storm. Captain Walter Ames of Kittery reached Whaleback as the storm abated and brought Keeper White ashore for medical attention.

French lighthouse keepers talk of mainland lights as "heaven" and waveswept towers as "hell." Peaceful Portsmouth Harbor Light in New Castle was an Eden for keepers, and Whaleback was clearly the opposite. Coast Guard crews staffed the light in later days, but automation in 1960 mercifully brought the end of resident keepers.

Besides various sightseeing cruises, the best views of Whaleback are from Fort Foster on the Kittery side and from Fort Stark in New Castle.

For a detailed HISTORY see Lighthouse.cc
Copyright 2004 by Jeremy D'Entremont, New England Lighthouses
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.
Photo below by Norm O'Neil