Portland-Head_Lighthouse-CM

Built at the direction of George Washington, the Portland Head Light cost $1,500 when completed in 1791, almost 30 years before Maine broke off from Massachusetts to become a state on its own. Originally lit by whale oil lamps, the oldest lighthouse in Maine sits on a head of land at the entrance to the primary shipping channel into the Portland Harbor, but the facility is part of the town of Cape Elizabeth, not the much larger Portland. The United States Coast Guard maintains the automated light station and foghorn. (Courthouse News photo / Chris Marshall)