Cape Elizabeth Lights
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| Coordinates | 43°33′57.846″N 70°12′.209″W / 43.56606833°N 70.20005806°WCoordinates: 43°33′57.846″N 70°12′.209″W / 43.56606833°N 70.20005806°W |
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| Year first constructed | 1828 |
| Year first lit | 1874 (current tower) |
| Automated | 1963 |
| Deactivated | West tower was deactivated in 1924 |
| Foundation | Stone |
| Construction | Cast iron |
| Tower shape | Conical tower attached to entrance tower; East tower conical without lantern |
| Markings / pattern | White with black trim, East Tower White. |
| Focal height | 129 feet (39 m) |
| Original lens | 2nd order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Range | 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W(4) 15s |
| Fog signal | HORN: 2 every 60s |
| Admiralty number | J0208 |
| ARLHS number | USA-113 |
| USCG number |
1-60 |
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Two Lights
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| Location | Cape Elizabeth, Maine |
| Built | 1874 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 74000167 |
| Added to NRHP | December 27, 1974 |
1-60
Cape Elizabeth Light also known as Two Lights is a lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, at the southwestern entrance to Casco Bay in 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-acre (17 ha) state facility which allows a view of, but not access to, the grounds of the lighthouse. Until recently, the light used a second-order Fresnel lens.
Cape Elizabeth Light, designed in the Gothic Revival style, was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Two Lights on December 27, 1974.
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 (270 m) apart. Steam-driven warning whistles 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 m) high and 129 feet (39 m) above sea level. Despite its twin beacons, Cape Elizabeth witnessed many shipwrecks. 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 in 1971 to retired actor Gary Merrill, who had been previously married to Bette Davis. Merrill sold the property in 1983.
The eastern tower remains in service as "Cape Elizabeth Light" and is often used as a motif for artists. Artist Edward Hopper painted several views of Two Lights in 1927 and 1929.
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Wikipedia