Nubble Lighhouse, York Maine – an iconic New England Landmark

Officially named the Cape Neddick Light, Nubble Light is no doubt one of the most photographed American iconic locations in all of New England. Picture perfect Cape Neddick in York Maine hosts one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the country and includes a convenient parking lot and adjacent Lobster Shack for handy lobster rolls while you gaze across the inlet at the classic Maine lighthouse and its many out buildings, white picket fence and jagged granite cliffs.

More lighthouse photographs and artwork here

How to get there:

Accessibility: Follow Nubble Road east from Route 1A (Long Beach Ave.) in York, near Long Sands Beach, for about 1 mile to Sohier Park. Click here for more detailed directions. There is free parking at Sohier Park with an excellent view of the lighthouse. The lighthouse and grounds are not open to the public.

About

Compact park offering scenic views of historic lighthouse plus scuba diving, fishing & gift shop.

Sohier Park Rd, York, ME 03909

Hours: Open today · Open 24 hours

Stats

Station established: 1879
Present lighthouse built: 1879
Automated: 1987
Construction materials: Cast iron lined with brick
Height of tower: 41 feet
Height of focal plane: 88 feet
Original optic: Fourth-order Fresnel lens (1879)
Present optic: Fourth-order Fresnel lens (1928)

Brief History From Wikipedia:

The Cape Neddick Light is a lighthouse in Cape Neddick, York, Maine. In 1874 Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the “Nubble” and in 1879 construction began. Cape Neddick Light Station was dedicated by the U.S. Lighthouse Service and put into use in 1879. It is still in use today.

Plans had been in the works to build a lighthouse on the site since 1837. The tower is lined with brick and sheathed with cast iron. It stands 41 feet (12 m) tall but the light is 88 feet (27 m) above sea level because of the additional height of the steep rocky islet on which it sits. Unusually, the stanchions of the walkway railing around the lantern room are decorated with 4-inch (100 mm) brass replicas of the lighthouse itself.

Nubble Light is a famous American icon and a classic example of a lighthouse. The Voyager spacecraft, which carries photographs of Earth’s most prominent man-made structures and natural features, should it fall into the hands of intelligent extraterrestrials, includes a photo of Nubble Light with images of the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

Cape Neddick Light is one of the last eight lights in Maine to still have its Fresnel lens. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Cape Neddick Light Station on April 16, 1985, reference number 85000844.

The lighthouse and island were featured in the movie “Lost Boundaries” (1949) starring Mel Ferrer.