What kind of Maine-based blog would this be if I didn’t include any lighthouses? Many times growing up, my energetic grandmother would pack my three sisters and I into her Ford Taurus, and we’d drive along the coast, stopping by as many lighthouses as we could before suppertime. We called them Lighthouse Runs, since most of the stops weren’t more than fifteen minutes. We’d run out of the car, take a couple pictures, find a crab, dip our toes in the ocean, and race back to the Taurus for front seat privileges. Living in central Maine, a half-hour from the coast, we often hit five or six lighthouses before we were called back home by my grandfather for supper on the grill. My husband and I traveled around Maine for our honeymoon, and one Sunday we took up the Lighthouse Run tradition, visiting quite a few lighthouses I’d never been to before.
Thousands of people visit Maine to explore, photograph, paint, and learn more about these historic structures. Prominent among these is the Portland Headlight, claiming the title of the most popular lighthouse in all of New England. Some people, however, might recollect the iconic red and white striped lighthouse up in West Quoddy Head. New England boasts of almost 200 lighthouses, 65 of which are in Maine (MTA, 2023). These recognizable landmarks stretch from Whitlock’s Mill Light Station near Calais to Nubble Lighthouse in York. Many lighthouses rest on islands along the coast. The only landlocked lighthouse in the state is Ladies Delight, which sits on the shore of Lake Cobbosseecontee, near Augusta, Maine.
While many lighthouses in Maine have a museum, highlighting the historical and current significance of each specific lighthouse, only five have accommodations beyond a day trip. Four of these lighthouses even have accommodations for visitors to stay in, including Whitehead Light in St. George, Burnt Coat Harbor Light on Swan’s Island, Little River Light in Cutler Harbor, and Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol.
The tallest lighthouse in New England can be found in Maine, Boon Island Light, which sits 6.5 miles from York. Standing 133 ft tall, this lighthouse is surrounded by bare rocks, with the conditions too extreme for much vegetation. The lighthouse itself had to be rebuilt three times due to harsh storms, and has gone through massive repairs between each new structure. Celia Thaxter, a poet from the 1900s, called this place “the forlornest place that can be imagined” (Ellison et al., 2022). Even with the lighthouse’s strong beam of light, at least three recorded wrecks happened on the dangerous rocks that make up the entire 300’ by 700’ island (MTA, 2023). While automated and privately owned today, this tower of granite can clearly be seen from York beach, and still serves its original purpose of warning others from getting too close.
The oldest lighthouse in Maine is the Portland Headlight in Cape Elizabeth. Commissioned in 1787 by George Washington (USNews, 2023), and dedicated by Marquis de Lafayette (MOT, 2023), it was finished in 1791. This and many other lighthouses in Maine are typically closed to the public during the year. However, on Maine’s Open Lighthouse Day, this year set on September 9, 2023 (ALF, 2023), many lighthouses along the coast will allow visitors inside.
The oldest lighthouse in New England, however, was built 75 years before the Portland Headlight: the Boston Light. Even after its destruction by the hands of the British in 1776 during the Revolutionary War, the rebuilt lighthouse predates the Portland Headlight by 8 years (NPS, 2023). The Boston Light is on a small, rocky 3-acre island just southeast of the entrance to Boston Harbor in Massachusetts. It has the distinction of not only being the first lighthouse in North America, but also the last manned lighthouse in the United States (NPS, 2023). From open water into the harbor, the lighthouse highlights a change in times as the modern city of Boston hangs back in the distance.
While lighthouses have always been a part of home to me, there’s none that seemed to have the best of everything for my sisters and I than the Rockland Breakwater. Standing at the end of an almost mile-long breakwater made up of locally quarried granite, the square brick lighthouse looks out over the well-sheltered harbor to Penobscot Bay and the City of Rockland. Driving up past the Samoset Resort, we could park just outside of the resort’s golf course, sit down to lunch near the shore, and take the trek to the lighthouse across the giant granite stones.
The breakwater itself took almost two decades to complete, and it took 732,277 tons of granite to make up the 4,300’ long stretch (MTA, 2023). While a beacon had been moving at the end of the breakwater as it was constructed out into the harbor, it was permanently fixed with a station in the fall of 1902. While historically maintained by lighthouse keeper, the lighthouse was automated in 1965. Soon after automation, however, the Coast Guard decided the lighthouse was going to be destroyed. Many people rose up to help keep the lighthouse intact, with the nearby Samoset Resort helping to maintain the building until 1989 (D’Entremont, n.d.). The City of Rockland took ownership of the lighthouse in 1998, and the many groups have helped to restore the building, including the American Lighthouse Foundation, countless volunteers, and many local businesses (D’Entremont, n.d.). While restoration continues, the lighthouse is open to tours through scheduled volunteer tours. All the best Lighthouse Runs with my grandmother ended with this lighthouse, and it continues to be one my favorites to share with family and friends today.
Resources
ALF. (2023). Boon Island Lighthouse. American Lighthouse Foundation. https://lighthousefoundation.org/lighthouses/boon-island-light/.
D’Entremont, Jeremy. (n.d.). Rockland Breakwater Light History. NEW ENGLAND LIGHTHOUSES: A VIRTUAL GUIDE. http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/rockland-breakwater-light-history.html.
Ellison, J., Kevin, B., Grunewald, W., M. Wright, V., Van Allen, J., Stebbins, S., Shephard, C., Morgan, G., & Killea, F. (2022, September 8). Every Maine Lighthouse, ranked. Down East Magazine. https://downeast.com/travel-outdoors/lighthouses/.
MOT. (2023). Historical Maine lighthouses. tour living legacies that create a coastal namesake. – visit Maine – Visit Maine. Maine Office of Tourism. https://visitmaine.com/things-to-do/lighthouses-sightseeing/lighthouses.
MOT. (2023). Maine’s unique lodging – visit Maine. Visit Maine. https://visitmaine.com/where-to-stay/inns-bed-breakfasts/maines-unique-lodging.
MOT. (2023b). Portland head light: Explore the historic lighthouse, museum, Natural Grounds & Gift Shop in Cape Elizabeth – Visit Maine. Visit Maine. https://visitmaine.com/things-to-do/lighthouses-sightseeing/portland-head.
MTA. (2023). Lighthouses in Maine: Historical sites & coastal icons. Maine Tourism Association. https://www.mainetourism.com/things-to-do/attractions/lighthouses/?bounds=false&view=list&sort=qualityScore.
NPS. (2023). Boston Light, featured in Maritime History of Massachusetts–a national register of historic places travel itinerary. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/bos.htm#:~:text=Boston%20Light%20marks%20a%20main,lighthouse%20built%20in%20North%20America.
USNews. (2023). Portland head light reviews | U.S. News Travel. Travel USNews. https://travel.usnews.com/Portland_ME/Things_To_Do/Portland_Head_Light_66346/.
Between the Pines and the Sea 