Spring Point Ledge Light

Last updated
Spring Point Ledge Light
Spring Point Light-LOC.jpg
Spring Point Ledge Light
LocationSpring Point Ledge, Portland Harbor, South Portland, Maine
Coordinates 43°39′07.61″N70°13′26.06″W / 43.6521139°N 70.2239056°W / 43.6521139; -70.2239056
Tower
Constructed1897(127 years ago) (1897)
FoundationBrick/Iron caisson
ConstructionCast iron with brick
Automated1960
ShapeConical "Spark Plug"
MarkingsWhite on black pier with black lantern
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Fog signal HORN: 1 every 10s
Light
First lit1897
Focal height54 feet (16 m)
LensFifth order Fresnel lens
RangeWhite 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi), Red 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic Flashing white 6s with two red sectors.
Spring Point Ledge Light Station
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPS Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No. 87002279 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1988

Spring Point Ledge Light is a sparkplug lighthouse in South Portland, Maine, which marks a dangerous obstruction on the west side of the main shipping channel into Portland Harbor. [2] [3] It is now adjacent to the campus of Southern Maine Community College. It was constructed in 1897 and automated in 1960.

Contents

History

The lighthouse was constructed in 1897 by the government after seven steamship companies stated that many of their vessels ran aground on Spring Point Ledge. Congress initially allocated $20,000 to its construction, although the total cost of the tower ended up being $45,000 due to problems with storms and poor-quality cement. The lighthouse featured a fog bell that sounded twice every twelve seconds, and a lantern fitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens first lit by keeper William A. Lane on May 24, 1897.

Improvements were made to the lighthouse throughout the 20th century. It was electrified in 1934, and in 1951, a 900-foot breakwater, made from 50,000 short tons (45,000 t) of granite, was constructed in order to connect the lighthouse to the mainland. The lighthouse was originally owned and operated by the United States Coast Guard (USCG); however, on April 28, 1998, the Maine Lights Selection Committee approved a transfer of ownership of the tower to the Spring Point Ledge Light Trust, with the USCG retaining only the light and fog signal. On May 22, 1999, Spring Point Ledge Light was opened to the public for the first time in its history. Adjacent to the lighthouse is Fort Preble, the Southern Maine Community College Campus, and a small gift shop.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Spring Point Ledge Light Station on January 21, 1988. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Head Light</span> Historic lighthouse in the United States

Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Quoddy Head Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, United States

West Quoddy Head, in Quoddy Head State Park, Lubec, Maine, is the easternmost point of the contiguous United States. In 1808 a lighthouse was constructed at the site to guide ships through the Quoddy Narrows. The current tower, with distinctive red-and-white stripes, was constructed in 1858 and is an active aid to navigation. The 3rd order Fresnel lens is the only 3rd order and one of only eight Fresnel lenses still in use on the Maine Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Elizabeth Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Cape Elizabeth Light is a lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, at the southwestern entrance to Casco Bay in Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wood Island Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Wood Island Light is an active lighthouse on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay, on the southern coast of Maine. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool and the end of the Saco River. The lighthouse is a 47-foot (14 m) conical white tower of granite rubble. The light itself sits 71 feet (22 m) above mean high water. Its automated beacon alternates between green and white every 10 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halfway Rock Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Halfway Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on a barren ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. The lighthouse tower, which has a height of 76 feet (23 m), and the attached ex-boathouse are all that remains, as the other buildings have been taken away in storms. The name "Halfway Rock" comes from the position of the rock which is halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Small, the southwest and northeast extremities of Casco Bay, which are about 18 nautical miles (33 km) apart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ram Island Ledge Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Ram Island Ledge Light is a lighthouse in Casco Bay, Maine, United States, marking the northern end of the main channel leading the harbor of Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Breakwater Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

The Portland Breakwater Light is a small lighthouse in South Portland, Maine, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boon Island Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, United States

Boon Island Light is located on the 300-by-700-foot Boon Island off the southern coast of Maine, United States, near Cape Neddick. Boon Island Light has the distinction of being the tallest lighthouse in both Maine and New England at 133 feet (41 m). The lighthouse has a focal plane at 137 feet (42 m) above mean high water. The light's beacon flashes white every 5 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goat Island Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Goat Island Light is a lighthouse located off Cape Porpoise near Kennebunkport in southern Maine. Goat Island Light was established in 1835 to guard the entrance to Cape Porpoise Harbor. The original station was upgraded in 1859 to the current brick tower with a fifth order Fresnel lens. Keeper's quarters were added to the island in 1860. The light station was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1990 and is currently active. The keepers dwellings and tower are leased to the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. Goat Island Light can be seen from shore in Cape Porpoise Harbor just off State Route 9 north of Kennebunkport or is viewable by boat. The island is currently closed to the public except by special arrangement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Reyes Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in California, United States

The Point Reyes Lighthouse, also known as Point Reyes Light or the Point Reyes Light Station, is a lighthouse in the Gulf of the Farallones on Point Reyes in Point Reyes National Seashore, located in Marin County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Point Light (Maine)</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

The Fort Point Light, or Fort Point Light Station, is located in Fort Point State Park, in Stockton Springs, Maine. A lighthouse at this point has served as an active aid to navigation since 1835; the present lighthouse dates to 1857, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland East Ledge Light</span> Lighthouse in Massachusetts, United States

Cleveland East Ledge Light is a historic lighthouse in Falmouth, Massachusetts. It sits on a man-made island in shallow water on the eastern of the two halves of Cleveland Ledge, which is said to have been named for President Grover Cleveland because he owned the nearby Gray Gables estate and used to fish in the area. It marks the east side of the beginning of the dredged channel leading to the Cape Cod Canal and is the first fixed mark when going northbound through the canal. As it is an important mark in an area subject to fog, it has a racon showing the letter "C".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annisquam Harbor Light</span> Lighthouse

Annisquam Harbor Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Wigwam Point in the Annisquam neighborhood of Gloucester, Massachusetts. It can be viewed from nearby Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester. It lies on the Annisquam River and is one of the four oldest lighthouses to surround the Gloucester peninsula as well as; Eastern Point Light, Ten Pound Island Light, and Thacher Island Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whaleback Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Whaleback Light is a historic lighthouse marking the mouth of the Piscataqua River in Kittery, Maine. It is located on a rocky outcrop offshore southwest of Fort Foster and south of Wood Island in Kittery. The present tower was built in 1872. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grindel Point Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Grindel Point Light is a lighthouse in Islesboro, Maine, marking the west entrance to Gilkey Harbor at the westernmost point of the eponymous island. The light station was established in 1850, and the present tower and keeper's house were built in 1874. The station was deactivated in 1934 and reactivated in 1987. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The keeper's house now houses the Grindel Point Sailor's Museum and the lighthouse tower is open for tours in the summer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heron Neck Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Heron Neck Light is a lighthouse on Green's Island in Vinalhaven, Maine at the south end of Penobscot Bay. It was established in 1854 as an aid to navigation for Vinalhaven's main port, and for the Hurricane Channel extending northwest from Heron's Neck. The light was automated in 1984. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Heron Neck Light Station on January 21, 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libby Island Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, United States

Libby Island Light is a lighthouse on Libby Island, marking the mouth of Machias Bay, in Machiasport, Maine. The light station was established in 1817 and is an active aid to navigation; the present granite tower was built in 1823 and improved in 1848. Libby Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Libby Island Light Station on June 18, 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saddleback Ledge Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, US

Saddleback Ledge Light is a lighthouse on Saddleback Ledge, an islet lying between Isle au Haut and Vinalhaven, Maine, in the middle of the southeastern entrance to Penobscot Bay. The station was established and the current structure, designed by Alexander Parris, was built in 1839. One of Maine's oldest lighthouses, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Saddleback Ledge Light Station on March 14, 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seguin Light</span> Lighthouse in Maine, United States

Seguin Light is a lighthouse on Seguin Island, in the Gulf of Maine south of the mouth of the Kennebec River, Maine. Established in 1795, it is the second-oldest of Maine's coastal lighthouses, and the only lighthouse in the state housing a first-order Fresnel lens. With its light at 180 feet (55 m) above mean sea-level, the present tower, built in 1857, is its highest of the state's lighthouses. Automated in 1985, the buildings of the light station are now operated as a museum property by a non-profit organization, and are seasonally open to the public via scheduled ferry from Popham Beach in Phippsburg. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Seguin Island Light Station in 1977.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  3. United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 64.