Portland Head Light

Portland Head Light (Cape Elizabeth, Maine)—July 23, 2025

Portland Head Light was lit for the first time on January 10, 1791, with 16 whale-oil lamps in a 72-foot tower. Over the following century, the lighthouse underwent significant improvements, including new keeper residences, Fresnel lenses, a cast-iron staircase, and a 20-foot increase in tower height. Its history also includes the dramatic 1886 wreck of the Annie C. Maguire, whose passengers and crew were rescued with help from Keeper Joshua Strout, his family, and local volunteers. The present keeper’s quarters, built as a two-story duplex in 1891, housed lighthouse keepers and their families until 1989. The iconic lighthouse is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.