Casco Bay
Encyclopedia
Casco Bay is an inlet
of the Gulf of Maine
on the southern coast of Maine
, New England
, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights
in Cape Elizabeth
. The city of Portland
sits along its southern edge and the Port of Portland
lies within.
, mapped the Maine coast in 1525 and named the bay "Bahia de Cascos" (Bay of Helmets, based on the shape of the bay).
The first settlement in Casco Bay was that of Capt. Christopher Levett
, an English
explorer, who built a house on House Island in 1623-24. The settlement failed. The first permanent settlement of the bay was named Casco; despite changing names throughout history, that settlement remains the largest city in the Casco bay region, now called the city of Portland, Maine
It was first reported in 1700 by Colonel Wolfgang William Römer
, an English military engineer
, tbat there were "as many islands as there are days in the year" The United States Coastal Pilot lists 136 islands., leading to the islands in the bay being called that Calendar Islands based on the popular myth there are 365 of them. Later, Robert M. York, the former Maine state historian
said there are "little more than two hundred islands."
through World War II
; during World War II
, Casco Bay served as an anchor
age for US Navy ship
s.
explorer Robert Peary
.
stated that, in his opinion, the bay offered some of the best sailing in the world.
In 2008, up-and-coming composers Peter J. McLaughlin and Akiva G. Zamcheck wrote a piece in four movements paying homage to the wreck of the Don in Casco Bay in 1941. The piece received critical acclaim from the Portland Press Herald and from fellow Maine composers.
vessels, which offload their catch primarily at the Portland Fish Exchange. Numerous towns and islands serve as ports for lobster
boats. Recreational fishing boats can also be chartered.
Marinas include
During the 1980s and 1990s, Bath Iron Works
operated a dry dock
in Portland Harbor to repair US Navy vessels, but the operation was discontinued.
in the bay include mackerel
, striped bass
, and bluefish
. Shellfish
include lobsters
, crab
s, mussel
s, clam
s and snail
s.
Harbor seal
s congregate on certain exposed ledges, and whale
s on occasion swim into the bay, and in a few instances into Portland Harbor.
Seagulls, cormorant
s and varying species of duck
s are the most common birds; more rarely osprey
, eagle
s and heron
s have been sighted.
Casco Bay contains bay mud
bottoms and banks in some locations, which provide important substrates for biota
.
The major islands in the bay are served by the Casco Bay Lines
ferry service at the Maine State Pier
in Portland. Peaks Island is served by a car ferry and, during the summer, sees 16 ferries a day. The other islands see fewer ferries and no car transport. Great and Little Diamond islands and Long Island are served primarily by the Diamond Pass run, which is popular with tourists in the summer months. Other services offered by Casco Bay Lines include a daily mailboat run, cruise to Bailey Island, and a sunset run.
Other services such as water taxis are also popular alternatives to the ferry but are limited to six passengers per boat.
Minor islands
s.
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
of the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
on the southern coast of 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...
, New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights
Cape Elizabeth Lights
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...
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...
. The city of Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
sits along its southern edge and the Port of Portland
Port of Portland (Maine)
The Port of Portland is the largest tonnage seaport in New England as well as a major seaport along the east coast of the United States. It is also the second largest oil port on the East Coast, processing of oil in 2007, mostly through the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line, and the largest foreign...
lies within.
European Discovery
There are two theories on the origin of the name "Casco Bay." Aucocisco is Abenaki name for the bay, which means 'place of herons' (sometimes translated as 'muddy'). The Portugese explorer Esteban GómezEsteban Gómez
Esteban Gómez, also known as Estevan Gómez, and born Estêvão Gomes, , was a Portuguese cartographer and explorer. He sailed at the service of Spain in the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan, but deserted the expedition before reaching the Strait of Magellan, and returned to Spain in May 1521...
, mapped the Maine coast in 1525 and named the bay "Bahia de Cascos" (Bay of Helmets, based on the shape of the bay).
The first settlement in Casco Bay was that of Capt. Christopher Levett
Christopher Levett
Capt. Christopher Levett was an English writer, explorer and naval captain, born at York, England. He explored the coast of New England and secured a grant from the King to settle present-day Portland, Maine, the first European to do so. Levett left behind a group of settlers at his Maine...
, an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
explorer, who built a house on House Island in 1623-24. The settlement failed. The first permanent settlement of the bay was named Casco; despite changing names throughout history, that settlement remains the largest city in the Casco bay region, now called the city of Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
It was first reported in 1700 by Colonel Wolfgang William Römer
Wolfgang William Romer
Wolfgang William Romer was a Dutch military engineer, born at The Hague. He was the third son, in a family of six sons and five daughters, of Mathias Romer of Düsseldorf and Anna Duppengiezeer. Mathias was ambassador to Holland from the Elector Palatine, who stood godfather to Wolfgang at his...
, an English military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
, tbat there were "as many islands as there are days in the year" The United States Coastal Pilot lists 136 islands., leading to the islands in the bay being called that Calendar Islands based on the popular myth there are 365 of them. Later, Robert M. York, the former Maine state historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
said there are "little more than two hundred islands."
War of 1812
The bay is also home to abandoned military fortifications dating from the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Casco Bay served as an anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
age for US Navy ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s.
World War II
The State Historic Site of Eagle Island was the summer home of ArcticArctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
explorer Robert Peary
Robert Peary
Robert Edwin Peary, Sr. was an American explorer who claimed to have been the first person, on April 6, 1909, to reach the geographic North Pole...
.
Late 20th and 21st Century
Walter CronkiteWalter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
stated that, in his opinion, the bay offered some of the best sailing in the world.
In 2008, up-and-coming composers Peter J. McLaughlin and Akiva G. Zamcheck wrote a piece in four movements paying homage to the wreck of the Don in Casco Bay in 1941. The piece received critical acclaim from the Portland Press Herald and from fellow Maine composers.
Marine economy
Portland has a substantial fleet of deep-sea fishingFishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
vessels, which offload their catch primarily at the Portland Fish Exchange. Numerous towns and islands serve as ports for lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
boats. Recreational fishing boats can also be chartered.
Marinas include
- Chebeague Island Boat Yard on Great Chebeague Island
- Diamond Marine Service Inc. on Great Diamond Island
- Dolphin Marina and Great Island Boat Yard in Harpswell
- Handy Boat Service Inc. in FalmouthFalmouth, MaineFalmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
- DiMillo's Old Port Marina, Maine Yacht Center and Portland Yacht Services in Portland
- Peaks Island Marina on Peaks IslandPeaks Island, MainePeaks Island is the most populous island in Casco Bay, Maine. It is part of the city of Portland and is approximately from downtown. The island became a popular summer destination in the late 19th century, when it was known as the Coney Island of Maine, home to hotels, cottages, theaters, and...
- Port Harbor Marina, South Port Marine, Spring Point Marina and Sunset Marina in South Portland
- Brewer's and Strouts Point Wharf Co. in South Freeport
- Royal River Boat Yard, Yankee Marina and Boatyard and Yarmouth Boat Yard in YarmouthYarmouth, MaineYarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located approximately ten to fifteen miles north of Portland. Its population was 8,349 at the 2010 census....
During the 1980s and 1990s, Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
operated a dry dock
Dry dock
A drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
in Portland Harbor to repair US Navy vessels, but the operation was discontinued.
Ecology
Predominant fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
in the bay include mackerel
Mackerel
Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be...
, striped bass
Striped bass
The striped bass is the state fish of Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the state saltwater fish of New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire...
, and bluefish
Bluefish
The bluefish , called tailor in Australia, is a species of popular marine gamefish found in all climates. It is the sole species of the Pomatomidae family....
. Shellfish
Shellfish
Shellfish is a culinary and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater environments, some kinds are found only in freshwater...
include lobsters
American lobster
The American lobster, Homarus americanus, is a species of lobster found on the Atlantic coast of North America, chiefly from Labrador to New Jersey. Within North America, it is also known as the northern lobster or Maine lobster. It can reach a body length of , and a mass of over , making it the...
, crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
s, mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s, clam
Clam
The word "clam" can be applied to freshwater mussels, and other freshwater bivalves, as well as marine bivalves.In the United States, "clam" can be used in several different ways: one, as a general term covering all bivalve molluscs...
s and snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s.
Harbor seal
Harbor Seal
The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...
s congregate on certain exposed ledges, and whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s on occasion swim into the bay, and in a few instances into Portland Harbor.
Seagulls, cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s and varying species of duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s are the most common birds; more rarely osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s and heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s have been sighted.
Casco Bay contains bay mud
Bay mud
Bay mud consists of thick deposits of soft, unconsolidated silty clay, which is saturated with water; these soil layers are situated at the bottom of certain estuaries, which are normally in temperate regions that have experienced cyclical glacial cycles...
bottoms and banks in some locations, which provide important substrates for biota
Biota (ecology)
Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
.
Transport
Casco Bay Lines
Casco Bay Lines is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of Casco Bay. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diamond Island, Diamond Cove, Long Island, Chebeague Island and Cliff Island.The company has a fleet of five vessels...
ferry service at the Maine State Pier
Maine State Pier
The Maine State Pier is a municipal-owned deep water marine facility and music venue located at the intersection of Commercial Street and Franklin Street on the eastern waterfront in Portland, Maine.It was completed in 1924...
in Portland. Peaks Island is served by a car ferry and, during the summer, sees 16 ferries a day. The other islands see fewer ferries and no car transport. Great and Little Diamond islands and Long Island are served primarily by the Diamond Pass run, which is popular with tourists in the summer months. Other services offered by Casco Bay Lines include a daily mailboat run, cruise to Bailey Island, and a sunset run.
Other services such as water taxis are also popular alternatives to the ferry but are limited to six passengers per boat.
Notable Casco Bay residential areas
From south to north:- Cape ElizabethCape Elizabeth, MaineCape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
- South PortlandSouth Portland, MaineSouth Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of...
- PortlandPortland, MainePortland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
- Falmouth ForesideFalmouth Foreside, MaineFalmouth Foreside is a census-designated place within the town of Falmouth in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 1,964...
- Cumberland Foreside
- YarmouthYarmouth, MaineYarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located approximately ten to fifteen miles north of Portland. Its population was 8,349 at the 2010 census....
- Freeport
- BrunswickBrunswick, MaineBrunswick is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 20,278 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. Brunswick is home to Bowdoin College, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum, , and the...
- BathBath, MaineBath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
Islands
Major islands- Bailey IslandBailey Island (Maine)Bailey Island is an island in Casco Bay, and a part of the town of Harpswell, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 400.-History:...
- Bustins IslandBustins Island, MaineBustins Island is an island in eastern Casco Bay, Maine. The island has approximately 115 summer cottages. Bustins Island operates its own ferry, the Lilly B, that debarks in Harraseeket harbor in Freeport. Typically, the Lilly B operates from Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day Weekend...
- Cliff IslandCliff Island, MaineCliff Island is an island in Casco Bay Maine. It is part of the city of Portland, Maine. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of approximately 60 people. In the summer, the island's population grows to about 200, despite the fact that it is the only year-round inhabited...
- Cousins Island
- Cushing IslandCushing Island, MaineCushing Island, or Cushing's Island, is a privately owned island in Casco Bay in the U.S. state of Maine. Part of the city of Portland, Maine, roughly 45 families live there seasonally....
- Great Diamond IslandGreat Diamond Island, MaineGreat Diamond Island is an island in Casco Bay, Maine. It is part of the city of Portland, Maine. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 77. The island is not accessible from the mainland by motor vehicle and has a limited network of roads. The primary modes of...
- Great Chebeague IslandChebeague Island, MaineChebeague Island is an island town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, located in Casco Bay, 10 miles from Portland. These islands are sometimes referred to as an older, now archaic term "The Calendar Islands" because there was once a belief that the approx. number of islands was about 365....
- Long IslandLong Island, MaineLong Island is an island town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, which seceded from the city of Portland in 1993. The population was 202 at the 2000 census...
- Mackworth IslandMackworth IslandMackworth Island is an approximately island on the border line of Falmouth, Maine and Portland, Maine. In 1631, Sir Ferdinando Gorges gave the island to Arthur Mackworth, his deputy in Casco Bay, and the island has retained his name. There is a causeway connecting the island to the mainland in...
- Orr's IslandOrr's Island (Maine)Orr's Island is an island in Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine, part of the Atlantic Ocean. The island is within the town of Harpswell, Maine, U...
- Peaks IslandPeaks Island, MainePeaks Island is the most populous island in Casco Bay, Maine. It is part of the city of Portland and is approximately from downtown. The island became a popular summer destination in the late 19th century, when it was known as the Coney Island of Maine, home to hotels, cottages, theaters, and...
- Sebascodegan Island (Great Island)
Minor islands
- Bangs Island
- Basket Island
- Barnes Island
- Bartol Island
- Basin Island
- Bates Island
- Bear Island
- Ben Island
- Big Hen Island
- Birch Island
- Bombazine Island
- Bowman Island
- Bragdon Island
- Burnt Coat Island
- Bush Island
- Center Island
- Clapboard Island
- Coombs Islands
- Cow Island
- Crab Island
- Crow Island
- Dingley Island
- Eagle Island
- East Brown Cow Island
- Elm Islands (Maine)|Elm Islands
- French Island
- George Island
- Gooseberry Island
- Goose Nest Island
- Great Mark Island
- Halfway RockHalfway Rock LightHalfway Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on a barren ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. The lighthouse tower, which has a height of , and the attached ex-boathouse are all that remain, as the other buildings have been taken away in storms...
- Harbor Island
- Haskell Island
- Hope Island
- Horse Island
- Home Island
- House Island
- Inner Green Island
- Irony Island
- Jacquish Island
- Jenny Island
- Jewel Island
- Junk of Pork
- Lanes Island
- Little Bustins Island
- Little Chebeague Island
- Little Birch Island
- Little Diamond Island
- Little French Island
- Littlejohn Island
- Little Mark Island
- Little Moshier Island
- Little Snow Island
- Little Whaleboat Island
- Lower Goose Island
- Malaga Island
- Mark Island
- Ministerial Island
- Moshier Island
- Mouse Island
- Outer Green Island
- Overset Island
- Pettingill Island
- Pinkham Island
- Pole Island
- Pound of Tea
- Pumpkin Nob
- Ragged Island
- Ram Island
- Raspberry Island
- Rogue Island
- Sand Island
- Scrag Island
- Sheep Island
- Shelter Island
- Snow Island
- Stave Island (home to Survivor Gabon winner Bob Crowley)
- Stockman Island
- Sister Island
- Sow and Pigs
- Sturdivant Island
- Turnip Island
- Two Bush Island
- Upper Flag Island
- Upper Goose Island
- Upper Green Island
- The Brothers
- The Goslings
- The Nubbin
- Vail Island
- Whaleboat Island, Maine|Whaleboat Island]]
- White Island
- White Bull Island
- Williams Island
- Wood Island
- Yarmouth Island
Lighthouses
Casco Bay is home to 7 lighthouseLighthouse
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....
s.
- Cape Elizabeth LightsCape Elizabeth LightsCape 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...
- Portland Head LightPortland Head LightPortland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine that sits at the entrance of the shipping channel into Casco Bay. The headlight was the first built by the United States government, and is now a part of Fort Williams Park.-History:...
- Ram Island Ledge LightRam Island Ledge LightRam Island Ledge Light is a lighthouse in Casco Bay, Maine, United States.-History:In 1855 an iron spindle was erected to protect sailors from dangerous underwater ledges surrounding Ram Island Ledge. The ledge continued to be the site of repeated shipwrecks...
- Spring Point Ledge LightSpring Point Ledge Light-External links:*...
- Portland Breakwater (Bug) Light
- Halfway Rock LightHalfway Rock LightHalfway Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on a barren ledge in Casco Bay, Maine. The lighthouse tower, which has a height of , and the attached ex-boathouse are all that remain, as the other buildings have been taken away in storms...
- Pocahontas (Echo Point) Light, The smallest lighthouse registered with the United States Coast GuardUnited States Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. It stands only 6 feet tall.
Forts
Forts in Casco Bay:| Fort | Constructed |
Location |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Gorges Fort Gorges Fort Gorges is a United States military fort built on Hog Island Ledge in Casco Bay, Maine.-History:Following the War of 1812, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed that a fort be built on Hog Island Ledge, in Casco Bay at the entrance to the harbor at Portland, Maine... |
1865 | Hog Island Ledge, Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... , ME |
| Fort Levett Fort Levett Fort Levett was a former U.S. Army fort built on Cushing Island, Maine, in 1898. Located in Cumberland County, Maine, in the middle of Casco Bay near Portland, Maine, the fort was heavily fortified with cannons for coastal defense... |
1898 | Cushing Island Cushing Island, Maine Cushing Island, or Cushing's Island, is a privately owned island in Casco Bay in the U.S. state of Maine. Part of the city of Portland, Maine, roughly 45 families live there seasonally.... , Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... , ME |
| Fort McKinley | 1907 | Great Diamond Island Great Diamond Island, Maine Great Diamond Island is an island in Casco Bay, Maine. It is part of the city of Portland, Maine. As of the 2000 census, the island had a year-round population of 77. The island is not accessible from the mainland by motor vehicle and has a limited network of roads. The primary modes of... , Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... , ME |
| Fort Preble Fort Preble Fort Preble is a military fort in South Portland, Maine, United States. It is now on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.Henry A. S. Dearborn built this second-system fortification as an "embargo fort" in 1808 and named it in honor of Commodore Edward Preble... |
1808 | Southern Maine Community College Southern Maine Community College Southern Maine Community College is a community college in South Portland, Maine, USA, and one of the seven colleges in the Maine Community College System.-History:... /Spring Point Ledge Light Spring Point Ledge Light -External links:*... /, South Portland South Portland, Maine South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state. Founded in 1895, as of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of... , ME |
| Fort Scammel | 1808 | House Island, Portland Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000... , ME |
| Fort Williams | 1872 | Fort Williams Park Fort Williams Park Fort Williams Park is a 90 acre park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine encompassing numerous historical sites. Perhaps most famous for having Portland Head Light on its grounds, the park also encompasses the decommissioned and largely demolished United States Army post "Fort Williams", which was... , 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... , ME |