I was going through my pictures from Maine today and discovered I missed posting one of the lighthouses from our wonderful tour.
The Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse was erected to warn mariners of a dangerous ledge that extended into the main shipping channel of Portland Harbor. The harbor was one of the busiest on the eastern seacoast during the 1800's with 7 different steamship companies recording a record 500,000 tourists and travelers delivered to the bustling city in one year.
Construction was assigned to Thomas Dwyer of NYC. He had to assemble the three lower courses in his workshop where they were inspected and approved before they were carted to the site where the lighthouse was to be built. This process was repeated for every element of the construction- brackets, beams, floors, railings, ever ladders all had to be approved by the Lighthouse Board before they were used.
A set back occurred in September of 1896 when a storm caused $5,000 worth of damage and new sections had to be made by a mill in Pennsylvania. Further delays happened when Dwyer used "unapproved" cement to fill in the caisson. Removing the cement was deemed impractical in the long run so Dwyer was fined $300 for his infraction and construction continued. Legal battles between Dwyer, the cement company, and the Lighthouse Board plagued the building process throughout construction but it continued nonetheless.
Finally, on May 24, 1897, after a light, fog bell, striker, and fog horn were installed, the first keeper, William A. Lane, and his assistant, Harry Phillips, lit the lamp at Spring Point Ledge for the first time.
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse has some interesting tidbits in its history. It was originally painted brown and black, but in October 1897, it was changed to white with black accents and has remained that way since. Early in 1898 the light was darkened for 3 months during the Spanish American War. And an odd event occurred in 1908 when the schooner Electric Flash hit the lighthouse in broad daylight and demolished one of its lifeboats. In 1934 the light was electrified. When this light was upgraded in 1960 it disappeared until it was finally traced to a private museum in Michigan.
The granite blocks encircling its base were added in the early 1930's to protect the caisson. The causeway was added in 1952. The light was automated in 1960 and the Coast Guard now oversees the maintenance of the light. From 2004 to 2013 local historical groups led several restoration projects on the outside and interior walls of the lighthouse ensuring the light will look its best for years to come.
Wow you got a wonderful photo. My lighthouse tour is a favorite of mine and I have taken lots of people on it including many Mainers who were not aware of the how many lighthouses there were in Greater Portland.
Thank you to each and every one of you! I have really enjoyed learning the history behind each one of these lights, although I must admit, this one probably has the most interesting along with the western light of Two Lights (The Harbor Defense Light which is now a private residence) that was once owned by actor Gary Merrill.
Thank you to each and every one of you! I have really enjoyed learning the history behind each one of these lights, although I must admit, this one probably has the most interesting along with the western light of Two Lights (The Harbor Defense Light which is now a private residence) that was once owned by actor Gary Merrill.