Portland Observatory
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Portland Observatory
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The Portland Observatory in 2005
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| Location | 138 Congress St Portland, Maine |
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| Coordinates | 43°39′55″N 70°14′54″W / 43.66528°N 70.24833°WCoordinates: 43°39′55″N 70°14′54″W / 43.66528°N 70.24833°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1807 |
| NRHP Reference # | 73000122 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 24, 1973 |
| Designated NHL | February 17, 2006 |
The Portland Observatory is a historic maritime signal tower at 138 Congress Street in the Munjoy Hill section of Portland, Maine. Built in 1807, it is the only known surviving tower of its type in the United States. Using both a telescope and signal flags, two-way communication between ship and shore was possible several hours before an incoming vessel reached the docks. The tower was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006; it is now managed by a local nonprofit as a museum, and is open to the public.
Portland has a deep harbor sheltered by numerous islands. Ships entering the harbor are not directly visible from the wharfs, which created problems for merchants trying to prepare for the arrival of cargoes. This problem was solved in 1807 when Captain Lemuel Moody organized the construction of an observatory on Portland's Munjoy Hill, visible from both the open ocean and the wharfs. During the War of 1812, the observatory was used as a watch tower.
The 86-foot (26 m) tall observatory (7 stories) is octagonal (to lessen wind pressure on each side) and lighthouse-shaped, with a fieldstone base of heavy loose rocks, and stands 222 feet (68 m) above sea level. There is no basement but the rock ballast in the bottom floor and octagonal design have kept the structure steady during storms. The observatory's 'lantern' (cupola) included a P & J Dolland Achromatic Refracting Telescope, which could identify ships 30 miles (48 km) to sea. That telescope disappeared from the observatory in 1939.
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