Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse by Greg Marlett

Located at the entrance to Casco Bay, the Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse is Maine's first "twin light." Originally the lighthouse had both an East and a West tower, but the West tower was deactivated in 1924 when the Lighthouse Service ruled that all twin lights had to be converted to single beacons.

The two towers were originally built in 1828 of rubblestone, but were rebuilt of cast iron in 1874. The towers and the grounds, which also comprised a gingerbread keeper's house and fog signal building, were frequently painted by Edward Hopper in the 1920s. One of the paintings was even made into a stamp commemorating Maine's 150-year anniversary in 1970!

The residence and grounds of this lighthouse are privately owned by William Kourakos. In 1998, despite protestations by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, the keeper's house was demolished and replaced by a much larger replica and two-car garage. Today, the grounds and residence do not look anything like the image depicted in Hopper's paintings.
The lighthouse can be viewed and photograph from the end of the property's driveway.

Year Established: 1828

Year Automated: 1963

Shape: Conical, attached to entrance room.

Height: 67 ft.

Characteristic: Sequence of four white flashes every 15 seconds. Fog signal: Two blasts every 60 seconds.

Accessibility: At the end of Two Lights Road in the town of Cape Elizabeth, there is a parking lot that allows you to view the tower from a distance. For a better view, park in this lot and walk back down Two Lights Road until you come to Two Lights Terrace. You'll be able to see and photograph the lighthouse from the end of the driveway