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Cape Neddick (The Nubble) Light (York, Maine)
The Cape Neddick Light is the southern most lighthouse in
Maine located near the entrance to the York River at the eastern point of Cape
Neddick. The light is also known as The Nubble Light since it is built on a
"nub" or “nubble” just a short distance from the mainland.
A nubble is defined as a small knob or lump which describes the shape of
the small island on which the lighthouse is built.
The tower is constructed of two layers of brick and covered on the outside with wrap-around steel plates. The base the tower is thirteen feet in diameter. There is a circular stairway (33 steps) leading up to the first steel platform which was used for storage. During storms the keepers would often sleep here to be near to the light. The portholes provide ventilation at the platform level. The lens room is reached by climbing an eight step ladder and going through a wooded trap door. Electrified in 1938, the light today consists of a 1,000 watt quartz-line precision lamp enclosed in a fourth-order Fresnel lens surrounded by a red plexiglass cylinder. It stands 88 feet above the high water mark. In clear weather the light can be seen for up to 13 nautical miles.
An interesting feature of the tower railing is the vertical posts. On top of all but one post is a small cast iron lighthouse tower replica. It is a mystery as to what happened to the one missing lighthouse.
The keepers house is two floors with a total of seven rooms including three bedrooms. The house has been restored by the town of York to its original condition. The covered walkway between the keeper's house and the tower was constructed in 1910.
There are three other buildings currently on the island, the white storage house / workshop, the red fuel/generator house, and the boathouse. The generator house is the little red brick building that is located on the front lawn. This houses a back-up generator and fuel used during power outages. It will automatically come on within seconds of a primary power outage. The boat house sits off by itself on the north end of the island and is used to store the boat used to travel back and forth to the mainland. Since the boat house is very close to the water it is very susceptible to battering by storms. The current boat house is built in 1978 to replace the former one that was washed away during the big Nor'easter in 1978.
Two structures that were used at one time and no longer exist are the bell tower and the outhouse. The bell tower was built in 1911 on the south side of the tower and was remove in 1961 when an electric fog horn was installed. The outhouse was in the back on the seaward side of the property. The are no fresh water supplies on the island and fresh water was obtained by collecting rain water. This was accomplished by using the downspouts from the roof. After sufficient rain had rinsed off the roof, the downspouts were redirected towards a 4,000 gallon holding tank in the cellar. This water was used for cooking and washing. The toilets flushed with saltwater. The water in the tank was periodically tested and in 1986 lead was found in the water supply. The tanks were then lined with a swimming pool liner and water was pumped onto the island by the fire department by connecting a 1,300 foot hose to a fire hydrant on the mainland and running it out to the water tank in the cellar. This was repeated every 18 days and had to be done at low tide.
The light was automated in 1987 and the last Coast Guard
keeper, Russell
Ahlgren and his family Brenda (wife) and Chris (son) Ahlgren, left the island.
The Nubble Light and tower itself is still maintained by the Coast
Guard, while the Town of York manages the buildings and surrounding property. Under the Maine
Lights Program, coordinated by the Island Institute, the lighthouse officially
became the property of the Town of York on December 15, 1997. The Lighthouse can be easily viewed from Sohier Park where there is also a small souvenir shop.
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All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws. Do not reproduce any images from this website without permission of the author. Copyright (c) 2000 Rick Totton.
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Lobbying
for the lighthouse actually began in 1807 but because of other lighthouse priorities,
Congress didn't appropriate money until 1879. A sum of $15,000 was appropriated
and the government purchased the island from a group of seven buisness men on
February 5, 1879 for $1,500. Six months later the lighthouse was completed and
the light was first
illuminated on July 1, 1879.
Another
interesting feature on the island is the trolley system that consists of a
bucket suspended on a cable that crosses from the mainland to the island.
This was a convenient way to get small packages and groceries across to the
island. Although, once used to transport a keeper's son back and forth for
school, as soon as the Admiral found out, it became strictly forbidden to
transport people across the channel in this way.
Because
of its accessibility and picturesque beauty, Cape Neddick Light is visited by an
estimated quarter of a million people annually. Cape Neddick Light has probably
appeared on more postcards, calendars and other souvenirs than any other New
England lighthouse with the possible exception of Portland Head Light. When NASA
sent Voyager II into space in 1977 with various artifacts, one of the images it
carried was a picture of Cape Neddick Light.