Portsmouth Harbor Light facts for kids
The Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse located inside Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, USA. This important lighthouse helps guide ships safely into Portsmouth Harbor. It has been standing for a very long time, making it a special part of New Hampshire's history.
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| Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse | |
 Portsmouth Harbor Light
Location in New Hampshire
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| Location | Portsmouth Harbor, Piscataqua River, New Castle, New Hampshire |
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| Coordinates | 43°4′15.7″N 70°42′30.9″W / 43.071028°N 70.708583°W |
| Year first constructed | 1771 (original tower) 1878 (current tower) |
| Automated | 1960 |
| Construction | Cast-iron & Brick |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Height | 48-foot (15 m) |
| Current lens | Fourth order Fresnel, 1854 |
| Range | 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fixed Green |
A Look Back: The Lighthouse's Story
Did you know this lighthouse station started way back in 1771? It was one of the very first lighthouses built before the American Revolution! The first tower was made of wood shingles. It had an iron lantern and a copper roof. Its light came from three copper oil lamps.
In 1804, they built a new, taller wooden tower. This one was about 80 feet high. It was placed about 100 yards east of the first tower. Later, in 1851, the tower was made shorter, down to 55 feet. Three years after that, in 1854, they added a special lens called a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. This lens made the light much brighter and easier to see.
The lighthouse you see today was built in 1878. It's a strong, 48-foot-tall tower made of cast-iron and lined with brick. It was built right on the same spot as the 1804 tower. Once the new tower was finished, the old wooden tower was completely removed.
The light shining from the lighthouse now is a steady green signal. You can see this light from up to 12 nautical miles away! An acrylic cylinder around the lens makes the light green.
Other old buildings are still at the lighthouse station. There's an oil house from 1903, which was fixed up in 2004. There's also the keeper's house from 1872. This building is now used as offices by the United States Coast Guard. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. This means it's a very important historical site.
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses
The Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses is a group that cares for this special place. They started in 2001. They are part of a bigger organization called the American Lighthouse Foundation. Their main goal is to protect the Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and its nearby buildings. They also gather and save the history of this important site. Then, they share this history with everyone!
The United States Coast Guard owns the lighthouse. They still take care of the equipment that helps ships navigate. The Friends group helps look after the tower, the oil house, and the wooden walkway. Since 2008, they also help with Whaleback Lighthouse. Because of this, they changed their name to include both lighthouses.
Ghost Hunters Investigation
In October 2008, a TV show called Ghost Hunters visited the lighthouse. The team, including Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, looked for possible paranormal activity. They investigated the lighthouse, the keeper's house, and Fort Constitution. This episode was shown on TV in December 2008.
This visit happened almost two years after another TV show, Scared!, filmed at the lighthouse. Both shows investigated the lighthouse, the keeper's house, and Fort Constitution. Jeremy D'Entremont, from the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, helped both shows by sharing the history of the site.
