Whaleback Light

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Whaleback Light
WhalebackLight2007.jpg
Whaleback Light
Location Piscataqua River entrance, Kittery, Maine
Coordinates 43°3′31.534″N70°41′46.701″W / 43.05875944°N 70.69630583°W / 43.05875944; -70.69630583
Tower
Constructed1830
FoundationStone / timber
ConstructionGranite blocks
Automated1963
Height15 m (49 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
ShapeConical
MarkingsNatural
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Fog signal HORN: 2 every 30s
Light
First lit1872 (current tower)
Focal height59 feet (18 m)
LensFourth order Fresnel lens, 1855 (original), VLB-44, 2009–2021, VRB-25 (Current)
Range14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi)
Characteristic Grp Flash (2) White, 10s
Whaleback Light Station
Nearest city Kittery Point, Maine
Arealess than one acre
Built1872
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPS Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No. 87002278 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 23, 1988

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. [2] [3] [4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [1]

Contents

History

The station (known in early records as "Whales Back") was established in 1830 for $20,000. The tower was upgraded in 1855 with a new lantern and a fourth order Fresnel lens. A fog bell and tower were installed in 1863. In 1869, storms had caused cracks in the tower and foundation causing a new tower to be built in 1872. This tower, still standing today, was constructed with dovetailed granite blocks alongside the original tower, which was removed in 1880. The light is 59 feet (18 m) above mean sea level, and the tower, also housed the keeper's living quarters and a storage area. [5]

The light was automated in 1963. [5] At some point the fog bell was replaced with a horn and in 1991, the volume of the horn was reduced because it was damaging the integrity of the structure.

In 2007, under the National Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, Whaleback lighthouse was made available to a suitable new steward. The American Lighthouse Foundation and its chapter Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses submitted an application and in November 2008, became the new owners. [6]

The light exhibits two white flashes every 10 seconds. From 2009–2021, this was produced by a modern VLB-44 LED. [7] Due to public outcry, in 2022 the Coast Guard replaced the VLB-44 with a VRB-25, similar to what the lighthouse had used prior to 2009. [8]

Keepers [2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 3.
  4. ↑ Rowlett, Russ (December 7, 2009). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. 1 2 "NRHP nomination for Whaleback Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved October 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Whaleback Lighthouse Receives New Keepers". MaineBusiness.com. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Wave of future sweeps over Whaleback Lighthouse". October 29, 2009. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2009.
  8. ↑ Trapani, Bob; Jr.; Director, ALF Executive (December 28, 2022). "Looking Back on 2022 – Whaleback Lighthouse – American Lighthouse Foundation". lighthousefoundation.org. Retrieved November 11, 2025.

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