WayfarrowPortland Head Light
Lighthouse · Cumberland County, Maine
Portland Head Light is a lighthouse in Cumberland County, Maine. Maine has 70 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Cumberland County.
It was built in 1791, in the colonial and early republic era, making it the oldest of the 61 in Maine with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 80 feet tall (3rd tallest of 53 measured in Maine); its light sits 102 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 4s (a white flash every 4 seconds), with a range of about 24 nautical miles; it guards Gulf of Maine; the structure is built of stone.
Status check, 2026-11: The original 1791 rubblestone tower still stands, though its height was cut and raised several times. It has been 80 ft tall since the 1885 raise, so the record's 24.4 m is correct. Portland Head Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 43.6231° N, 70.2078° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1791 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 80 ft |
| Focal height | 102 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 4s |
| Range | 24 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Gulf of Maine |
| Material | stone |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 43.62306, -70.20778 |
Nearby places
- Ram Island Ledge Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 1.2 mi
- Spring Point Ledge Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 2.2 mi
- Portland Breakwater Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 2.6 mi
- Cape Elizabeth Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 4 mi
- Cape Elizabeth Light (western tower)lighthouse · Cumberland County · 4.1 mi
- Rigbyghost town · Cumberland County · 4.4 mi
- Lone Creek Villageghost town · Cumberland County · 5.8 mi
- Grubb Hillghost town · Cumberland County · 7.5 mi
- Summit View Parkghost town · Cumberland County · 7.7 mi
- Danish Villageghost town · Cumberland County · 8 mi
- Riverton Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Cumberland County · 8.1 mi
- Halfway Rock Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 8.9 mi
Questions
Where is Portland Head Light?
Portland Head Light is in Cumberland County, Maine, at 43.6231, -70.2078.
How many lighthouses are in Cumberland County?
Cumberland County, Maine has 8 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.