CASCO BAY, MAINE
RAM ISLAND LEDGE, PORTLAND HEADLIGHT, SPRING POINT LEDGE, PORTLAND BREAKWATER (THE BUG)
©Spectrum Photography 2010
There are two theories on the origin of the name "Casco Bay." One is based on Portuguese explorer Esteban Gómez, who explored the Maine coast in 1525 and named the bay "Bahia de Cascos" (Bay of Helmets, based on the shape of the bay). The second is based on Aucocisco, the Abenaki name for the bay, which means 'place of herons' (sometimes translated as 'muddy'). The first permanent settlement of the Portland peninsula was named Casco. A small town 25 miles north northwest of Portland, also in Cumberland County, later claimed the name Casco.
Ram Island Ledge light sits on a rocky ledge at the northern entrance to Portland Harbor. At high tide the ledge is completely covered. The lighthouse can be seen in the distance from Fort Williams State Park, the location of Portland Head Light.
Portland Head has long protected
Portland and the adjacent area. Cape Elizabeth residents were deeply committed
to American independence from British rule. In 1776, the new Town of Cape
Elizabeth posted a guard of eight soldiers at Portland Head to warn citizens of
coming British attacks.
In 1787, the General Court of Massachusetts (the Massachusetts legislature)
provided $750 to begin construction of a lighthouse. In 1790, when the United
States Government took over the responsibility of all lighthouses, Congress
appropriated $1,500 for its completion. The original tower measured 72' from
base to lantern deck and was lit with 16 whale oil lamps. It was first lit on
January 10, 1791.
Late on Christmas Eve in 1886, the three masted bark Annie C. Maguire struck the ledge at Portland Head. Keeper Joshua Strout, his son, wife, and volunteers rigged an ordinary ladder as a gangplank between the shore and the ledge the ship was heeled against. Captain O'Neil, the ship's master, his wife, two mates, and the nine man crew clambered onto the ledge and then to safety . The cause of the wreck is puzzling since visibility was not a problem. Members of the crew reported they "plainly saw Portland Light before the disaster and are unable to account for same."
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse was
constructed to mark a dangerous ledge which is now covered by the breakwater.
Numerous ships had struck the ledge and local ship owners had petitioned the
Lighthouse Board for many years before funds were made available for
construction.
Finally, in 1891, the ship owners enjoyed success and the Lighthouse Board
presented a formal request to Congress to build a fifth-order Lighthouse for an
estimated $45,000. The request was denied, but repeated requests finally bore
fruit in 1895 when an initial amount of $20,000 was authorized to begin
construction. Fifteen months later the remaining $25,000 was made available.
Thomas Dwyer of New York City received the contract from the Lighthouse Board to
build a cast iron caisson lighthouse of standard design. Work started in August,
1896 and went quickly until a storm on September 6th deformed many of the
1-1/4-inch iron plates already in place. The damage was estimated at $5,000. Of
equal importance was the time lost obtaining new iron plates from the rolling
mill in Pennsylvania, which took nearly a month, bringing the December
completion date into question.
Work resumed in October and continued at a steady pace until early November when
government inspectors halted the job due to the type of cement used to fill the
foundation. Construction again stood still for three weeks but the name-calling
and finger-pointing did not. In the end, the contractor won out and was allowed
to continue. (Incidentally, the cement in question has lasted for more than a
century!).
Background: Portland Head Light
Profile of Abenaki Chief thrown from the cliff by English soldiers with Ram Island Ledge in the background.
The light was originally built in 1855 at the end of a breakwater that stretched about a 1/2 mile into Portland Harbor. The light has a unique design, with lots of detail and columns. It almost has a the feel of a Greek or roman monument.
Background: Ft. Scammel. Henry A.S. Dearborn built Fort Scammell on the island in 1808 as part of the national second system of fortifications. It was named after Alexander Scammell, Adjutant general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, who was killed in action during the Battle of Yorktown. The fort was designed for harbor defense, with cannon batteries designed to protect the main shipping channel into Portland harbor, along with Fort Preble. In the 1840s–1870s, as part of the national third system of fortifications, Fort Scammell was modernized. Thomas Lincoln Casey, known for his work on the Washington Monument rebuilt the fort in 1862 at the time of the American Civil War. Of all the forts in Casco Bay, Fort Scammell was the only fort to fire a shot and be fired upon in battle, in early August, 1813.
©Spectrum Photography 2010