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Nichols, John

Portland Head Light
Society: ASCEMain Category: CivilSub Category: Water TransportationEra: 1750-1799DateCreated: 1787Fort Williams ParkCape ElizabethState: MEZip: 04107Country: USAWebsite: http://www.asce.org/Project/Portland-Head-Light/Creator: Nichols, John , Bryant, Jonathan

The Portland Head Light was the first lighthouse to be constructed in Maine and the first one completed and put into service by the Federal government under the Lighthouse Act of 1789, which moved to place all lighthouses under federal control. While work had begun on the lighthouse in 1787 by the State of Massachusetts which, at that time, had jurisdiction over Maine, it was completed by the Federal government. When this lighthouse was being built, Portland was the sixth largest port in the country, the closest port to Europe and had significant trade with the Caribbean.

YearAdded:
2002
Image Credit: Courtesy Flickr/Bernt Rostad (CC BY 2.0)Image Caption: Portland Head LightEra_date_from: 1787
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Portland Head Light

The Portland Head Light was the first lighthouse to be constructed in Maine and the first one completed and put into service by the Federal government under the Lighthouse Act of 1789, which moved to place all lighthouses under federal control. While work had begun on the lighthouse in 1787 by…

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