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Managing Organization:
American Lighthouse Foundation
Telephone: 207-646-0245
Website: http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/capeelizabeth/capeelizabeth_info.htm
Contact Address Information:
P.O. Box 889
Wells
Maine, 04090, United States
Notes:
The twin lighthouses built in Cape Elizabeth in 1828, known as Two Lights, were the first twin lighthouses in Maine. The west lighthouse was discontinued in 1924. The east lighthouse and keeper's house were immortalized by artist Edward Hopper in several paintings; one appeared on a U.S. postage stamp. The lighthouse tower was licensed by the Coast Guard to the American Lighthouse Foundation in the spring of 2000. The active optic is still maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Tower Height: 67
Height of Focal Plane: 129
Characteristic and Range: Four white flashes every 15 seconds, visible for 15 nautical miles, lighted 24 hours.
Description of Tower: Conical white cast iron tower with black cast iron lantern.
This light is operational
Other Buildings?
1878 wood Victorian two story keeper's house (severely remodeled and enlarged in 1999), 1886 brick fog signal building.
Earlier Towers?
1828: First pair of Cape Elizabeth lighthouses -- two 65-foot rubblestone towers.
Date Established: 1828
Date Present Tower Built: 1874
Date Automated: 1963
Optics: 1855: Second order Fresnel lens; 1994: FA-251. The 1855 Fresnel lens is on display at Cape Elizabeth Town Hall.
Fog Signal: 1830s: Fog bell; 1869: Steam fog whistle. Now automated horn with two blasts every 60 seconds.
Current Use: Active aid to navigation, private residence.
Open To Public? No.
Directions:
From US 1, take ME 207 southeast to ME 77. Follow ME 77 (Spurwink and Bowery Beach Roads) northeast for about 5.5 miles to a triangular intersection marked with a "Two Lights State Park" sign. Turn right into Two Lights Road. About 1.4 miles from the intersection, turn left off Ocean House Road at Two Lights Terrace. The lighthouse is at the end of the terrace. There is no public parking on the terrace and the property is privately owned. The restored west tower can be seen on your right on Two Lights Terrace as you leave. For a good but more distant view, continue straight on Ocean House Road to a free parking area. The lighthouse can be seen from here, and there is a jetty beyond the parking area. Walk out on the jetty for good photos, especially if you have a telephoto lens.
Mapquest URL: Click here to get a map to this lighthouse!
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Keepers: Elijah Jordan (1828-1834); Charles Staples (1834-1835); William Jordan (c. 1850); Nathan Davis (c. 1850s); Michael Staples (assistant, c.1860s); Asbury Staples (assistant, c. 1860s); James Tolman Hanna (1853-1876); Mrs. Louise A. Hanna (third assistant (1874-?); Harry S. Libby (first assistant, 1876-1881); Joseph W. Girty (second assistant, 1878-1880); Charles E. Chase (second assistant, 1880); Atbus R. Angell (second assistant, 1880-1881, first assistant 1881-?); Hiram Staples (second assistant (1881-1886); William G. Williams (second assistant, 1886); Fernando Wallace (second assistant, 1886); Marcus A. Hanna (1873?-1880s); Henry M. Cuskley (1897-1903); James Anderson (1917-?); Frank Cotton (?-1926); Joseph H. Upton (1926-1934, died in service); Edward Elliot (c. 1940s); Arthur Marston (?-1947)
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