Cape Elizabeth Twin Lights

Last crawled date: 1 year, 6 months ago

This light station was established in 1828. The current towers were built in 1873, fabricated from cast-iron plates. One light was fixed, while the other flashed. The west tower was discontinued in 1924, whereupon the cupola was removed. The station was the subject of several paintings by Edward Hopper in the 1920s and 1930s. During World War 2, it was used for spotting enemy submarines off the Maine coast. Since this light and headland effectively controls the waterway into the city of Portland, this spotting system was vital. In 2000, the keeper's dwelling was almost totally demolished and replaced with a structure that 'invokes' the original. Though there was some outcry over this, it should be noted that the house design was a standard New Hampshire and Maine plan which can also be found at Cape Neddick and several other locations. Nonetheless, since the original keeper's house was what made it into the HABS/HAER record for the site, that is what has been shown here. It is, after all, still at the nucleus of the original dwelling. #america #american #art #attraction #automate #automated #automation #bay #beacon #boat #century #destination #edward #fresnel #gothic #hampshire #history #hopper #house #kittery #lens #light #lighthouse #lightstation #maine #marine #maritime #nautical #new #nineteenth #ocean #portland #portsmouth #safe #safety #sea #ship #signal #sos #states #station #tourism #tourist #united #victorian #water