Lighthouses Around Portland Maine – A Great Destination
Water lovers are going to rejoice when they consider a trip to Portland. Yes, their are a lot of options in the way of what you can do when you are in Portland, but you will find the majority of these destinations are going to revolve around the ocean and the lighthouses that are in the region if you want to have a great tour of the history of the region and the water itself. Since this is the case, you may want to explore some of the lighthouses around Portland Maine, which actually has several within a short distance. Some of them can be toured, but some of them can only be gone by on the way to the other places. Either way these lighthouses are a gem and something that you will really enjoy being able to see because you can finally see how important the lighthouses were and still are, but also how they helped to form this great nation.
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Do You Have To Travel Far From Portland To Reach These Lighthouses?
This is the best part most of the lighthouses that you can see when you are in Portland are within 20 minutes of downtown. Now you will note that we did not say how you would get to the lighthouses because each one is going to require a different type of transportation. In fact, one of the lighthouses is on an island so I think that would rule out a car trip to the lighthouse. However, this does not mean that you will not have a great time just means that it may include chartering a boat or taking a boat tour, which is not that bad of an idea when you are so close to the ocean anyways! Without any further ado, though, lets talk about those beautiful objects that illuminate the night for boaters, the all important lighthouse!
Bug Light Lighthouse Or Portland Breakwater Lighthouse
The Portland Breakwater Lighthouse or the Bug Light Lighthouse is one you are going to enjoy when you are around the Portland area. The lighthouse was originally built out of wood in 1855 and then the town decided it needed to extend out the breakwater to the current location that it is in right now. So this will definitely be something that is going to be nice because that means the lighthouse was built in 1875, which is the one that you are able to see now. So this is definitely an older lighthouse that was out of comission for a long period of time. It was relight in 2002 and remains in service still as an automated lighthouse.
When you are at this location you will find the lighthouse itself is not open for tours. However, the lighthouse has some beautiful grounds that are around the lighthouse and that makes it easier for you to have a great time because you can view the lighthouse from the distance, but you cannot get into the lighthouse to look at it. The best part is you will find the lighthouse grounds are stunning and with the free parking makes it very easy for you to find a place that you can get out and since you are by a lighthouse literally have the sea just a few feet away from your feet.
Ram Island Ledge Light Station
Ram Island is a privately owned lighthouse that is listed on the National Historic Register. The lighthouse is obviously built on an island, but it is visible from Portland Harbor as well. However, this is a lighthouse that was constructed in 1903 to 1905. The lighthouse was actually built after a freighter ran aground on the rocky outcroppings. When this happened, since these rocky outcroppings were not really visible at the time the lighthouse was deemed necessary. What makes this a unique lighthouse is the fact that it was converted to solar power in 2001 before it was sold and that definitely made it one of the unique options that people generally fell in love with the option. When the lighthouse was put up for auction it did not generate any type of interest from government bodies, or educational outlets. So a surgeon stepped up to the plate and ended up making the purchase of the lighthouse.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse
This is a lighthouse that was built in 1897 after their was seven different companies that ended up losing their steamships on the reefs that were around. The lighthouse was finished in the same year and it was going to have a fog horn as well. This made it really nice because a lot of times when the ships were in the region because of the climate area that is around Spring Point, it would often lead to their being a very heavy fog that would make it impossible for the ships to see the light from the lighthouse. The fog horn would sound every twelve seconds at the time which is makes this one of the lighthouses around Portland Maine.
What is great about Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse is the fact that it is open to the public and has been open to the public since 1999. This is because the state and the government approved the transfer of ownership of the lighthouse to the trust that is in control of the lighthouse now. The Coast Guard did retain the control over the light and the foghorn, which is a great feature because that will keep the lighthouse functioning for a long period of time.
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Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse Or Portland Head Light
This is a lighthouse that has quite a bit of history with it. In fact, the light house, if you want to believe it was originally commissioned by George Washington. So that should tell you how old the lighthouse is and the significance that was placed on Portland Harbor at the early starts of the country. What else is interesting about this lighthouse is the original plans called for it to be stopped being constructed at 58 feet, but it was impossible for the lighthouse to be seen over the rocks that are farther out. Since this is was the case, the masons decided that it would need to be raised another 20 feet to be seen. So this helped to get the lighthouse visible over the rocks and this made it easier to protect the sailors and allow for advance warning of any incoming warships that may attack the harbor during the nations young age.
The keeper house and the grounds belong to the town of Cape Elizabeth. However, what is interesting is the Coast Guard still maintains and controls the lighthouse. This is mainly because the lighthouse is meant to be kept as a current navigational beacon and it still uses this today. With this lighthouse the light is visible for 24 miles out to sea so that is a great reason to keep it in use and the fog warning system allows sailors to help avoid a lot of the issues they could encounter.
As a side note, when you do visit this lighthouse, you will have a chance to see 4 different lighthouses around Portland Maine. So this is going to be a great thing for you to see because it will make it easier for you to knock out all of the lighthouses that you want to see, even if from a distance at a single time.
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