 |
| Portland Head Light |
Portland
Maine has six Lighthouses protecting its rocky coast. This week, in a
blog article for the New England Photography Guild, I highlighted each of
these beacons. Radar and GPS have revolutionized the process of coastal
navigation, but, especially for smaller craft, they have not replaced the
importance of Lighthouses in lighting the way to safe harbors. Photographically,
New England’s lights are one of my favorite subjects whenever I get back to the
coast.
Check
out my Guild article for details about each of Portland’s six Lighthouses.
They range from the isolated and abandoned Rear Range Tower of the Twin
Lights, to the majestic Portland Head light, arguably the most impressive
example of New England’s coastal beacons. Here, To supplement my article,
I have collected a few more of the many images of these lighthouses that I have
captured over the years.
You
can check out the locations on my map and follow the GPS locations. I
decided to tour the lighthouses from south to north starting with the most
challenging ones to approach, the Twin Lights.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-2)
Twin Lights, Cape Elizabeth
43.5643N,
70.1989
Only
one of the two Twin Lights is still functioning and both are on private
property. Both were built around 1828. In 1924, the government
dismantled the West (Rear Range) Tower. It
is closed off and now is a private residence. The other light is closer
to the shore and, although it is still operating, it can’t be closely
approached.
 |
| Rear Range Tower - Inactive |
 |
| East Tower - Active |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3)
Portland Head Lighthouse, Cape Elizabeth
43.6232N,
70.2079W
The
Portland Head Lighthouse was commissioned by President George Washington and
completed in 1791. It is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Sitting
heroically on a rocky point extending toward Portland’s main shipping channel,
it is easy to see why it is the most photographed lighthouse in New England.
Obviously, it is one of my most photographed Lighthouses.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4)
Ram Island Light
43.6314N,
70.1876W
Across
the entrance to Portland Harbor from Cape Elizabeth and Portland Head Light, is
Ram Island Lighthouse. Built in 1905, It sits precariously on a ledge
that threatens the northern side of the harbor channel. The lighthouse
can be photographed from Fort Williams Park with dramatic images often
including Portland Head Light in the frame.
 |
| Distant Ram Island Light |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Spring
Point Ledge Light
43.6499N,
70.2255W
Located
next to the Campus of Southern Maine Community College, Spring Point Ledge
Light was built in 1897 to mark a dangerous Ledge which lies to the west of
Portland’s main shipping channel. Originally built on a caisson in open
water, in 1951, the lighthouse was attached to the mainland with a 600 foot
granite breakwater and can be viewed from the beach or breakwater.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Bug
Light
43.6556N,
70.2349W
Little
Portland Breakwater Light, which is also called “Bug Light”, was built in 1875
to mark the entrance to Portland Harbor. Bug Light Park includes a memorial to
the New England Shipbuilding Corp shipyard. During WW II, the massive yard
constructed over 200 of the Liberty Ships that were so crucial in transporting
American industrial output across the Atlantic. Now, all that is left is
a skeletonized bow, representing one of the ships.
 |
| Liberty Ship Memorial |
Jeffrey
Newcomer
603-363-8338
Of course, being in York, I had to make a
pilgrimage to the classic Nubble Lighthouse. Unfortunately, this year,
the lighthouse is being refurbished. Scaffolding has been migrating
around the structures contaminating the pristine appearance. For our
visit the mesh was around one of the outbuildings. I could have tried to
repair the damage in Photoshop, but, over the years, I have had many
opportunities to grab clean images of the light. This was a good time to
let the repairs happen while I enjoyed the clean salt air and communed with the
gulls.
Pomeranz Delivers at 1200mm
This
year, our Rye Weekend extended out for five lovely days. We didn’t get
home until late Wednesday, which is why I am late with this week’s blog.
Now I have a bunch of stuff on which to catch up and the work on the
studio is still inching along. Who knows
when I’ll get to my next article.
