Are you like me and so many others who find lighthouses so interesting and attractive and a thing of beauty?
Today they play that role far more than the purpose for which they were original constructed … to communicate to ships at sea there’s a point of danger. Yes, an early form of communicating in the modern world! Where would we be if we couldn’t communicate with each other … and if what we call mass communications — or “media” — hadn’t transitioned from light to electronic. After all, the meaning of Communication is the use of messages to generate meaning, both within and across a myriad of cultures, contexts, channels, and media.
Well, back to the subject of Lighthouses in the state of Maine, with 69 having been built … 66 of those remain today, 57 of which still have a working light. I’m told that only the state of Michigan has a greater number, although Maine has been called “The Lighthouse State.”
Pictured at the top is the Portland Head light, the state’s most popular and oldest, built in 1791. If you go to Portland, you won’t find it — it sits across the harbor to the south, just one of four lighthouses on an expanse of seacoast known as Cape Elizabeth … the southernmost is Cape Elizabeth Light, next heading north is Portland Head, then sitting on a jetty on the west side of Portland’s main shipping channel is Spring Point Ledge Light, and finally, in South Portland and also on a jetty, Portland Breakwater Light. Locally, this light is known affectionately as “Bug” light, perhaps because it’s the shortest of all of Maine’s lighthouses.
This Musings grew out of the trip my friend and I took to northern New England last fall and, as we began our way down the coast of Maine beginning in Camden, we stopped in the city of Rockland to visit not only the Farnsworth Art Museum but the Maine Lighthouse Museum as well. While there, we also took an afternoon sail out into Rockland Harbor, passing the Rockland Breakwater Light.
Rockland Lighthouse by Marlin R. Taylor 
Owls Head Lighthouse by Marlin Rl. Taylor
On the south side of Rockland Harbor, as you head south down the peninsula with the ocean on the left and the St. George River on the right, is Owl’s Head Light. While we didn’t continue on down the peninsula, I did a few years ago to take this photo of the Marshall Point Light, situated in the small fishing village of Port Clyde, marking the entrance to the River. If something about this photo seems familiar, think Forrest Gump! In the movie, this is the lighthouse he was shown running to at the eastern end of his run across the United States.
While not the most majestic of lighthouses, I was anxious to have my friend see the lighthouse and rocky coast scene at Pemaquid Point. My wife Alicia and I had visited numerous times, as she had family in the region in years past and it became a favorite spot when we were up that way.
Pemaquid Lighthouse by Marlin R. Taylor 
Rocks at Pemaquid Lighthouse by Marlin R. Taylor
To reach the area, when driving north on U. S. Route 1, either turn south at Damariscotta, following Maine Route 129, then 130 … or continue to Waldoboro and turn right on Route 32.
Finally, just as I was preparing to write this story about Maine lighthouses, I happened upon information about the lighthouse located on the easternmost point of the continental United States … West Quoddy Head Light in Lubec, Maine. In fact, it’s so far east that if you go directly north, you’ll cross a small body of water to land on Campobello Island, CANADA! Yes, if you’ve read U. S. history related to our presidents … this is the same Campobello Island that was the “beloved” summer vacation spot of President Franklin Roosevelt and his family. It is part of the Province of New Brunswick, Canada. No, at the time, the Roosevelts — nor anyone — needed a passport to go there, but you do now.
An original lighthouse was built on this site in 1808, but the present one with its beautiful red-and-white strips — constructed out of brick and standing 49 feet tall — was erected in 1869. A year later, a trumpet fog whistle was installed, replacing an earlier bell system which required the lightkeeper to manually strike the bell by hand.
To get a picture of where this lighthouse is situated and how large the state of Maine actually is, consider the fact that if you are on Mount Desert Island, the location of Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor — the most northern point either of us have been — you still have more than 100 miles to go to reach this lighthouse!
See a Google Map of all Maine Lighthouses HERE
Image Credits: Portland Head Light Station, Cape Elizabeth, Maine, U.S.A. by Rapidfire, Lighthouse at West Quoddy, ME photo by James S. Anderson
