Construction Cast-iron & Brick Characteristic Fixed Green Range 22,224 m | Tower shape Conical Height 15 m Automated 1960 | |
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Location Portsmouth Harbor, Piscataqua River, New Castle, New Hampshire Year first constructed 1771 (original tower)
1878 (current tower) Current lens Fourth order Fresnel, 1854 Similar Fort William and Mary, Whaleback Light, Great Island Common, Fort Stark, Cape Neddick Light | ||
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located within Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, United States.
Contents
- Map of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse New Castle NH 03854 USA
- History
- Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses
- Ghost Hunters investigation
- References
Map of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, New Castle, NH 03854, USA
History
The station was established in 1771 and was the 10th of 11 light stations established prior to the American Revolution. The first tower was a shingled wooden structure with an iron lantern and copper roof. Its light source was three copper oil lamps.
The first tower was replaced in 1804 by an 80-foot (24 m) octagonal wooden tower approximately 100 yards (91 m) east of the 1771 tower. In 1851, twenty years after the establishment of Whaleback Lighthouse, the tower was shortened to 55 feet (17 m). Three years later, in 1854, the tower was fitted with a Fourth (4th) Order Fresnel lens.
In 1878, a new 48-foot (15 m) cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse tower was erected on the same foundation as the 1804 tower. When the new tower was completed, the surrounding remains of the 1804 tower were removed.
The current light is a fixed green signal that is visible for 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi). The light is made green by an acrylic cylinder that surrounds the lens.
Other structures at the light station that are still standing are the 1903 oil house (restored in 2004) and the 1872 keeper's house (currently United States Coast Guard offices).
On October 8, 2009, Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses
Founded in 2001, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses are a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). The mission of the Friends is to work for the preservation of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and associated structures, as well as to gather and preserve the history of the important historic site and to share these resources with the public. The United States Coast Guard owns Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and still maintains the active aids to navigation equipment. The group is licensed through ALF to care for the tower, oil house, and wooden walkway. As of November 2008, the Friends are also responsible for Whaleback Lighthouse, and altered the chapter name to reflect this.
Ghost Hunters investigation
In October 2008, the Ghost Hunters team of Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, and others investigated possible paranormal activity at the lighthouse, keeper's house, and Fort Constitution. The episode aired December 10, 2008, on the Sci Fi Channel.
This investigation came almost two years after the independent TV show Scared! filmed at the Portsmouth Lighthouse. The two episodes of the two different shows both featured investigations of the lighthouse as well as the keeper's house and the nearby Fort Constitution. Jeremy D'Entremont of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse provided on- and off-screen history for both shows.