Portsmouth Harbor Light 2
by Joann Vitali
Title
Portsmouth Harbor Light 2
Artist
Joann Vitali
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is located within Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, USA.
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). 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.
Fort Constitution State Historic Site is located on a peninsula on the northeast corner of New Castle Island. It overlooks both the Pisquatua River and the Atlantic Ocean. Fort Constitution is one of seven forts built to protect Portsmouth Harbor. The others in New Hampshire are: Fort Washington, Fort Stark and Fort Dearborn (Odiorne Point State Park); and in Maine: Fort Sullivan, Fort McClary and Fort Foster.
The earliest forts were built to protect the colonists. As Portsmouth Harbor's importance increased with the Revolutionary War shipbuilding industry and the establishment of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1800, additional fortification was needed.
Uploaded
March 30th, 2013
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