Portland Head Light and Fort Williams Park

Tourists love lighthouses. At least four tourists from Missouri do, and like moths to the flame, we headed to the light. The Portland Head Light (the building and lighthouse) hangs out in Fort Williams Park within Cape Elizabeth.

We started touring Fort Williams Park, so let’s start there. If you enjoy rocky coasts, Ship Cove provides a perfect experience. My feet prefer sandy beaches, but I’ll never turn away a view like this. The Cape hosts two lighthouses—the famous Portland Head Light and Ram Island Ledge Light Station.

We didn’t spend much time ogling Ram Island Ledge, but it has an interesting history. Located just over one mile from Portland Head Light, Ram Island Ledge was commissioned because there were so many shipwrecks. Two thirds of the Ram Island Ledges hid below the water, so this lighthouse was built in 1905 to help save the mariners. Eventually, electricity was run from the Portland Head Light with an underwater power cable, and Ram Island Ledge became automated.

There were times people became quite creative when trying to catch the eye of the lighthouse keeper. One boater even set their mattress on fire after he’d crashed into the ledges. Story after story illuminates the setting and really brings this place to life.

In 2008 the Coast Guard offered the lighthouse for free to a select group of government/nonprofit organizations, but no one showed interest. Instead, the lighthouse was put up for auction in 2010. A bidding “war” took the final price to $190,000 made by neurosurgeon Jeffrey Florman. His lack of both lighthouse knowledge and an actual boat did not deter him from purchasing the property to preserve history.

We left the Cove after some time, and we visited the buildings located within the 90-acre Fort Williams Park. The Visitor Center was closed, but there was adequate signage to help us orient ourselves.

We walked past the Goddard Mansion Ruins, visited the bunkers and batteries, saw the powerhouse and the fire station, and waltzed through the more modern children’s area. We even tried their slide.

We wound through some trails and ended up at the Portland Head Light. Known as the most famous and most photographed lighthouse in all of Maine, the Portland Head Light did not disappoint.

Head to the history books because this spot’s history is replete with activity. In 1776 eight soldiers were stationed at Portland Head to warn of coming British attacks. By 1787, $750 was allocated by the General Court of Massachusetts for lighthouse construction. Then, in 1790, the US government took over the responsibility of all lighthouses, and $1500 was provided for its completion.

John Hancock (signer of the Declaration of Independence) ordered the construction of a Keeper’s Quarters in 1790. These quarters continued to expand and housed the head and assistant lighthouse keepers and families until 1989. That’s amazing!

The town began leasing the lighthouse in 1990 and by 1993 they were deeded the land. Today the Coast Guard maintains the actual light and fog symbol, but the remaining portions of the property are maintained by the town of Cape Elizabeth.

Now that you’ve heard a very brief history of this beautiful lighthouse, I’d like to share our experience with it. First of all, I wanted to ascend the stairs of the lighthouse and look out on the waters. Unfortunately there is one day, the Maine Open Lighthouse Day, that provides for this experience, and that specific date is September 12. Since we were not visiting in September, those hopes were dashed.

We did tour the Museum (located in the old Keeper’s Quarters, and it had so many amazing displays. We saw a 3-D map of the area. There was a timeline that took you through both world events and the names of presidents. We saw uniforms and older lighthouse lenses. The museum visit was a whopping $2.00, and it was worth every cent.

Crowds were everywhere, so finding a peaceful spot near the lighthouse proved difficult. We stood back while others took photos, then we did the same. However, Madison and Tracy wanted to see a sunrise. With Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park now a dream from days past, we decided to wake up at an ungodly hour to make it for the sunrise.

Our hotel was an hour away, so we set out at 3:30am (or something close to that). Hannah valued her sleep, so she stayed snuggled in her bed while the rest of us drove the hour to the lighthouse.

Oh my! It was amazing! We weren’t sure where to park, but there turned out to be four free spots incredibly close to the lighthouse.

Only one other person braved the early hour and unexpectedly joined us. This man had the photographic gear. He was a widower and loved spending his time out in nature taking photos of places he had enjoyed when his wife was still with him.

He proudly produced images of some of his favorites photos from the lighthouse. His long exposure shots glimpsed into our universe in ways I’d never seen. His camera and tripod were definitely upgrades from my meager Apple phone.

As we waited, we all talked. Eventually Madison took leave to get closer to the deserted lighthouse. Tracy and I did too. We found many new-to-us angles and experienced the Portland Light Head in the much needed peace.

I can’t say it was quiet though. Waves crashed against the rocks, and birds began to come to life. The area filled our ears with many loud sounds and yet, we felt the calm within the noise. While we didn’t see the sun pop up through the clouds, the experience was needed. We sat as long as we could, interacting with the shoreline, until more tourists began to arrive. We took our leave and basked in our memories.