Nubble Lighthouse
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Nubble Lighthouse stands on a small island off the coast of Cape Neddick in York, Maine. Although the structure is by no means an architectural wonder, it has a certain quintessential charm which has made it one of the most photographed lighthouses in the United States—a picture of the lighthouse was even included in the collection of artifacts sent into space aboard Voyager II.
Officially named the Cape Neddick Light Station, the lighthouse was built in 1879 by the United States Light House Service to "protect mariners from the Savage Rock." (Savage Rock was so named not for the danger it presented, but because English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold first met Native Americans there.) Although requests for a lighthouse at this location were made as early as 1807, action was not taken until 1874 when the US Congress appropriated $15,000 for the lighthouse's construction.
The 41-foot lighthouse tower itself is connected by an enclosed walkway to a two-story keeper's house. Also on the island are a storage shed, a small boathouse, and a brick structure that was used to store fuel oil and a backup generator. An electric cable trolley once used to transport supplies to the lighthouse connects Savage Rock with the mainland. Across the narrow channel which the trolley wires span is Sohier Park, named for William Davies Sohier (1858 - 1938) who donated the land in 1929.
In 1987, the last keeper left the island after the lighthouse was automated by the Lighthouse Automation and Modernization Program (LAMP) which began in the 1960s. Two years later, the town of York leased the property from the federal government with the object of securing the historical integrity of the buildings and maintaining the character of the location. In 1998, full ownership of the Nubble Lighthouse was given to York through the Maine Lights Program, which works to transfer ownership of lighthouses from the federal government to local communities.
Location
11 Sohier Park Road
York Beach, ME 03910
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