Cape Elizabeth Lights
Encyclopedia
Cape Elizabeth Light also known as Two Lights is a lighthouse
in Cape Elizabeth
, Maine
. Only the eastern tower of the two that made up the light station until 1924 is active. The western tower is deactivated, but it is still standing and is privately owned. The facility is adjacent to Two Lights State Park
, a 41 acres (16.6 ha) state facility which allows a view of and access to the grounds of the lighthouse. Until recently, the light used a second-order Fresnel lens
.
Cape Elizabeth Light was added to the National Registry of Historic Places as Two Lights on December 27, 1974, reference number 74000167.
s were installed in the twin towers in 1869, the first used in North America
. In 1874, both structures were replaced by conical towers made of cast-iron, each 67 feet (20.4 m) high and 129 feet (39.3 m) above sea level. Despite its twin beacons, Cape Elizabeth witnessed many shipwreck
s. In January 1885, during a raging snowstorm, keeper Marcus A. Hanna
made a daring rescue of two seamen from the schooner
Australia, which had run aground on a nearby ledge.
The use of multiple lights in a given site was discontinued in 1924. The western light was removed from service, and eventually sold to a private party in the 1970s. The eastern tower remains in service as "Cape Elizabeth Light."
Two rubble stone towers were first erected on Cape Elizabeth in 1828 at a cost of $4,250. President John Quincy Adams appointed Elisha Jordan as the first keeper in October 1828 at a salary of $450 per year. In 1855 Fresnel lenses were installed and in 1869 a giant steam whistle was set up for use in foggy weather. In 1873 the rubble towers were taken down and two cast-iron edifices erected, 300 yards (274.3 m) apart. One was a fixed and one a flashing light. A fog siren replaced the locomotive whistle.
One of the most thrilling episodes in the history of the lighthouse occurred on January 28, 1885, when Keeper Marcus A. Hanna saved two crew members of the schooner Australia which had grounded on the ledge near the fog signal station. The two men had taken to the rigging and were coated with ice, unable to move. The captain was drowned as a huge comber washed the deck. Keeper Hanna, securing a heavy iron weight to the end of a stout line, attempted time and again to reach the men with it. Suddenly a towering wave struck the schooner and smashed her against the rocks, putting her on her beam ends.
Keeper Hanna again threw his line and watched it land on the schooner. One of the seamen managed to reach it and bent it around his waist. Then he jumped into the sea and the keeper, with great effort, pulled him up over the rocky ledge. The keeper now heaved the line a second time and finally it reached the second seaman who wound it around his icy body. Then he too jumped into the ocean. Just as the keeper’s strength was exhausted in trying to haul ashore the second man, help came in the shape of the keeper’s assistant and two neighbors, who helped haul the man to safety.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Cape Elizabeth
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. Only the eastern tower of the two that made up the light station until 1924 is active. The western tower is deactivated, but it is still standing and is privately owned. The facility is adjacent to Two Lights State Park
Two Lights State Park
Two Lights State Park is a State Park located on Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It is a popular point of destination for Maine residents and the many visitors who enjoy the state's rocky coast, named for two nearby lighthouses called the Cape Elizabeth Lights...
, a 41 acres (16.6 ha) state facility which allows a view of and access to the grounds of the lighthouse. Until recently, the light used a second-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
.
Cape Elizabeth Light was added to the National Registry of Historic Places as Two Lights on December 27, 1974, reference number 74000167.
History
The area is known as "Two Lights" due to the history of the station. It was originally built in 1828 as two rubble stone towers 300 yards (274.3 m) apart. Steam-driven warning whistleWhistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
s were installed in the twin towers in 1869, the first used in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In 1874, both structures were replaced by conical towers made of cast-iron, each 67 feet (20.4 m) high and 129 feet (39.3 m) above sea level. Despite its twin beacons, Cape Elizabeth witnessed many shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
s. In January 1885, during a raging snowstorm, keeper Marcus A. Hanna
Marcus Hanna (lighthouse keeper)
Marcus Aurelius Hanna was an American lighthouse keeper famous for his heroism.-Biography:Hanna was born in Bristol, Maine, the son of the keeper of the Franklin Island Light. He spent his early years at the station before going off to sea at the age of ten. By 18 he had risen to the position of...
made a daring rescue of two seamen from the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
Australia, which had run aground on a nearby ledge.
The use of multiple lights in a given site was discontinued in 1924. The western light was removed from service, and eventually sold to a private party in the 1970s. The eastern tower remains in service as "Cape Elizabeth Light."
From Coast Guard web site
General Information:Two rubble stone towers were first erected on Cape Elizabeth in 1828 at a cost of $4,250. President John Quincy Adams appointed Elisha Jordan as the first keeper in October 1828 at a salary of $450 per year. In 1855 Fresnel lenses were installed and in 1869 a giant steam whistle was set up for use in foggy weather. In 1873 the rubble towers were taken down and two cast-iron edifices erected, 300 yards (274.3 m) apart. One was a fixed and one a flashing light. A fog siren replaced the locomotive whistle.
One of the most thrilling episodes in the history of the lighthouse occurred on January 28, 1885, when Keeper Marcus A. Hanna saved two crew members of the schooner Australia which had grounded on the ledge near the fog signal station. The two men had taken to the rigging and were coated with ice, unable to move. The captain was drowned as a huge comber washed the deck. Keeper Hanna, securing a heavy iron weight to the end of a stout line, attempted time and again to reach the men with it. Suddenly a towering wave struck the schooner and smashed her against the rocks, putting her on her beam ends.
Keeper Hanna again threw his line and watched it land on the schooner. One of the seamen managed to reach it and bent it around his waist. Then he jumped into the sea and the keeper, with great effort, pulled him up over the rocky ledge. The keeper now heaved the line a second time and finally it reached the second seaman who wound it around his icy body. Then he too jumped into the ocean. Just as the keeper’s strength was exhausted in trying to haul ashore the second man, help came in the shape of the keeper’s assistant and two neighbors, who helped haul the man to safety.