Lighthouses were built in Maine to look over its many harbors to protect them in case of attack from British soldiers. They were also built to guide sailors around the rocks and shallow areas of the sea. Maine has many lighthouses along its rocky shoreline. The lighthouses are not all the same but they all do the same important job.
Portland HeadLight
The
Portland Headlight is located in Casco Bay to watch over the bay. George
Washington gave the order for it to be built in 1790. Portland Headlight
is the oldest light house in Maine. It is solid white and it flashes every
4 seconds. It is 101 feet above water level.
Pumpkin Island Light
Pumpkin Island Lighthouse was
built in 1852. It is located in Penobscot Bay. It is white and marks the
entrance of Eggemoggin Reach in Penobscot Bay. The lighthouse was
automated in 1930 but is now
inactive and is privately owned.
Bass Harbor Head Light
This lighthouse was built in 1858 to warn sailors at the entrance of the harbor and to mark the entrance to Blue Hill Bay. It is on the south west point of Mt. Desert Island. It also offered shelter to boats which were struggling against storms. The lighthouse is red and it flashes every 4 seconds. It is 56 feet about the water level.
West Quoddy Headlight
This headlight is located in
the eastern most point of Maine. It was ordered to be built by Thomas Jefferson
in 1808. This point is the first place to see the sun rise in the United
States. It is white and red stripes and flashes every 6 seconds. This lighthouse
is 83 feet above the water level.
Owls Head Light
John Quincy Adams ordered this lighthouse to be built in 1825 on a rocky hill in Rockland, Maine. It is white and has a fixed light. It is 100 feet above the water level. During a winter storm in 1850 a boat from Massachusetts broke its anchor and was blown down Penobscot Bay and smashed into the rocks at Owls Head. There were three people on board, a mate, a seaman, and one passenger. They huddled together against the freezing surf. The seaman made it to shore and got help at the lighthouse. When help arrived the mate and passenger were frozen into a block of ice. They carried the block with the people inside it back to the lighthouse. As they melted the block of ice and slowly warmed the victims, they revived!
Pemaquid
Light
This Maine lighthouse
was built in 1827 on a rock formation in Muscongus Bay. During the years
1903-1917 four major ship wrecks happened at Pemaquid Point. The light
is visible for 14 miles on a clear day. It was the first lighthouse to
be automated in Maine in 1934. It is a white lighthouse and flashes every
6 seconds. It is 178 feet about the water level.
Sequin Island Lighthouse
Sequin is Maine's second
lighthouse, built in 1795 and ordered by George Washington. It is located
at the mouth of the Kennebec River , 2 1/2 miles form Popham Beach. The
light is the highest above water on the Maine coast. It is 180 feet above
the water level. The light is visible from a distance of 40 miles. This
light house has one of the most powerful fog horns ever made because of
its location. A ghost story about Sequin involves a lighthouse keeper's
wife that always played the same tune on the piano and drove her husband
nuts. He took an ax to the piano, killed his wife and himself. People say
you can still hear the tune of the piano on calm nights.
Sequin is a white lighthouse
with a fixed light, which means it doesn't flash.
How Have Lighthouses Changed?
Lighthouses have changed by having automatic lights. People don't live in most lighthouses now, but there are still some people who still live in lighthouses along the coast of Maine.
How Have Lighthouses Stayed the Same?
Lighthouses have stayed the same because they continue to warn sailors of rocks and guide ships in fog or stormy weather. They have been responsible for saving many lives along the Maine coast.
By Kristina and Morgan
Time Line