Wood Island Light by Gregory Marlett

Woods Island Light is a wonderfully romantic lighthouse, especially when viewed in solitude from the Audubon Society preserve on Eastern Point at Biddeford Pool. Here the lighthouse is accompanied by crashing surf, an ocean dotted with islands, and a view of Old Orchard Beach. The tower, which is located on the northeast side of Wood Island Harbor and marks the entrance to the Saco River, can also be seen from the shore of Biddeford Pool and Hills Beach.
Wood Island comprises a 49-foot white conical granite block tower and a one and a half story wooden keeper's house. Both were originally erected in 1808, although the original tower was replaced with another, of the same style, in 1858,

The second oldest lighthouse in Maine, Wood Island Light is not without its stories! Legend says the lighhouse is haunted by a murder victim, and the tower is the location of several dramatic rescues at sea. It is said that it was once inhabited by a dog who rang the fog bell, and in the 1870s was home to a pub and distillery that were burnt by drunken revelers. In the 1940s, during World War II, the light station was visited by a surrendering German submarine!

The lighthouse is reached by boat only. While it is closed to the public, tours can be arranged by the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, P.O. Box 26, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006.
Year Established: 1808
Year Automated: 1986
Shape: Conical
Height: 49 ft.

Characteristic: Alternating white and green flashes every ten seconds. Fog signal: two blasts every 30 seconds.

Accessibility: The light is accessible only by boat and is closed to the public, although tours can be arranged through the Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse. The tower can be viewed along the shore of Biddeford Pool and Hills Beach, as well as from the Audubon Society preserve on East Point at Biddeford Pool.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse By Gregory Marlett

Cape Neddick Lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in the world. In fact, when the Voyager II was launched into space in 1977 it took a variety of pictures of the earth's natural features as well as man-made structures, just in case they ran into some extraterrestrials who were interested in learning about life on earth. And guess what was among the photographs? Yes, a picture of the Cape Neddick Lighthouse!

The Cape Neddick Lighthouse, which is also called "Nubble Light," is located on Nubble Island about 200 yards off Cape Neddick Point. Cape Neddick Point is at the north end of Long Beach in the village of York Beach. While this tower is inaccessible it is very easily seen from Sohier Park on the mainland, which makes it easy with telescopes, lots of parking, a welcome center, and a gift shop.

The Cape Neddick Lighthouse, which is lined with brick and sheathed in cast iron, was built in 1879. It is 41 feet tall, and one of its distinguishing features is the walkway railing around the lantern room, which is decorated with brass replicas of the lighthouse. It is rare for lighthouses to have decorations, and the origins of this one are unknown. The original mold, however, was found in a Coast Guard warehouse. The Cape Neddick Lighthouse also has a very sweet keeper's cottage complete with gingerbread trim.

Fun stories about this lighthouse and its inhabitants abound, including one resident, a 19-pound cat, who regularly enjoyed swimming across the channel to socialize with mainland friends!
During the holidays the lighthouse is decorated with small white lights, and a Christmas tree can be seen in the main window facing the park. The lighthouse and keeper's house are also lit for a short period during the summer tourist season.

Year Established: 1879
Year Automated: 1987
Shape: Cylindrical
Height: 41 ft.

Characteristic: A red flash that lasts six seconds, then is off for six seconds. Fog signal: one blast every 10 seconds.
Accessibility: The light is not accessible to the public but can be easily seen from the nearby mainland at Sohier Park in York Beach.

Boon Island Lighthouse By Gregory Marlett

It's often very difficult to separate the interesting physical attributes, characteristics and surroundings of historically significant buildings, such as lighthouses, from the colorful lives and folklore surrounding their inhabitants. Lighthouse keepers, without a doubt led extraordinarily desolate, lonely, and sometimes dangerous lives protecting the welfare of mariners, as well as personally surviving the harsh elements connected with their posts. Nowhere were the conditions anymore bleak and challenging, then off the cold, rocky and treacherous coast of Maine, on Boon Island, where fog, "nor'easters" and changing weather conditions, combine to make survival a difficult proposition. Many a lighthouse keeper held-on by the skin of their teeth while being battered by unusually harsh storms and high tides. Water temperature during the winter averages around 35 degrees F. One such isolated post was Boon Island Lighthouse.

At 133 ft., Boon Island's lighthouse is the tallest in Maine. It is also thought to be one of the most isolated and most dangerous. In fact, the island's name is a result of legends and lore. Boon Island is frequently pummeled by deadly storms, and many a ship was wrecked there in bad weather. One legend, which supposedly took place in 1710, has the shipwrecked crew of the Nottingham Galley resorting to cannibalism! As a result locals and mainland fisherman began leaving packages of food and clothing, known as "boon," on the island to be used by shipwreck victims who were able to reach the rocks. Boon Island is, in reality, a pile of rocks about 400 square feet in size. The first lighthouse to be built there, in 1799, lasted five years in spite of being made of wood. The original light was blown away in a storm and replaced with two more lights before the tower that is there today, was built in 1852. The current cylindrical tower is made of hand-hewn granite blocks.

Boon Island was not the greatest place to end up if you were a lighthouse keeper. The isolation, danger, and basic deprivation resulted in quite the high turnover! The final straw occurred during New England's famous Blizzard of 1978 ("The Perfect Storm"), as the entire island was submerged under water and the other structures on the island were destroyed by flying boulders.The two keepers retreated to the lantern room until they were rescued by Coast Guard helicopters. Needless to say, the light was automated shortly thereafter!

Boon Island is located six miles off York, Maine, and in good weather, because of its height, can be seen all along the southern coast.

Year Established: 1811
Year Automated: 1980
Shape: Cylindrical
Height: 133 ft.

Written by gmarlett Copyright 2006 All Rights ReservedGreg's Maine Lighthouse Blog http://gregsebo.blogspot.com in Beautiful Downeast Maine

Whaleback Light Portsmouth Harbor

I would like to post some articles I have copyrighted, in 2006, pertaining to some interesting background information on still funtioning Maine Lighthouses. I welcome all feedback and response, not only to my article posts, but to the subject of lighthouses in general. I would love to hear about interesting folklore and information concerning the lighthouse keepers, as well. Please enjoy the articles, but remember, this is copyrighted material and I reserve all rights, when it comes to reprinting, copying etc.

There are 54 operating lighthouses left along the coast of Maine, most of them built in the 19th century. Each one has a long and storied history. Some of them are known for the wrecks that washed up along their shores, others for the ghosts that haunt their towers. Others are known for the keepers who gave up normal lives for themselves and their families to keep the lights running.

When lighthouses became automated in the 20th century the keepers left their posts. Many of the stations fell into disrepair, and some buildings were removed or razed to conserve maintenance costs. And perhaps this is another reason why lighthouses are so interesting. They are the last remaining vestiges of a way of life that no longer exists.

Whaleback Light
The least glamorous of all the southern coast lighthouses, Whaleback Light is situated on the northeast side of Portsmouth Harbor at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, and is approachable through the town of Kittery. This lonely and somewhat drab looking lighthouse is conical in shape and made of dovetailed granite ashtar. Structurally it resembles England's Eddystone Lighthouse. It stands 50 feet tall and has a black cast-iron lantern.

However, Whaleback light has had its share of controversy. Because of its location New Hampshire and Maine had a decades-long dispute about which state the light really
belonged to. The U.S. Coast Guard settled the dispute when they decided that the rocks the lighthouse sits on are in Maine waters.

This lighthouse had a rough start, and because of its history of structural deficiencies it's amazing that the light is still operational today. It was initially erected in 1820, but a rough winter with many harsh storms immediately damaged the lighthouse beyond repair. A second lighthouse—the one you see today—was built on the site in 1831. This time, however, the tower's foundation was not bolted to the bedrock. These construction issues were eventually addressed and improved upon. The lighthouse, still wobbly, somehow managed to stand for 40 years! In 1872 more improvements were made, specifically the bottom of the old structure and base of today's 75-foot tower were combined, and this time someone remembered to bolt the whole thing to the bedrock!

Year Established: 1820
Year Automated: 1963
Shape: Conical
Height: 50 ft.
Characteristic: Two white flashes every 10 seconds. Fog signal: Two blasts every 30 seconds. Interesting note: In 1991 the Coast Guard lowered the volume of the fog signal because the vibrations were damaging the lighthouses's walls.

Accessibility: The light is accessible only by boat and is closed to the public. The best places to view it are Fort McClary State Historic Site and Fort Foster in Kittery off of 103. It can also be viewed from Fort Constitution and New Castle Island Park in New Castle, NH.