Cape Neddick (Nubble) Lighthouse
Cape Neddick (“Nubble”) Light (+43° 9′ 54.00″, -70° 35′ 30.00″) is located near the entrance to York River near the town of York. Its characteristic is isophase red 6 – 3 seconds red alternating with 3 seconds of darkness. Its fog signal is 1 blast every 10 seconds.
Cape Neddick Light has probably appeared on more souvenirs than any other New England lighthouse, with the possible exception of Portland Head Light. In 1977, when NASA loaded the Voyager II with artifacts from our culture, one of the items on board was a picture of Cape Neddick Light. In 2001, the popular band Nickel Creek shot a music video onsite.
Cape Neddick (Nubble) Lighthouse
The “Nubble” is a small island just off the eastern point of Cape Neddick, about two miles north of the entrance to the York River. In 1876, Congress appropriated $15,000 for a lighthouse to be erected on Nubble. The 41-foot, cast-iron tower, lined with brick, was first lit on July 1, 1879. Back then, the light showed a fixed red through a fourth-order Fresnel lens. This lens was damaged in an explosion and replaced with an 1891 lens moved from another station in 1928.
A red oil house was added in 1902, and a walkway connecting the lighthouse to the keeper’s dwelling was added in 1911.
The station originally had a fog bell operated by automatic striking machinery, but the bell was later replaced by a diaphragm horn.
The lantern room at Cape Neddick Light retains nearly all the original brass fittings. One of the only changes is that red plastic now encases the light, as opposed to the original red glass.
Cape Neddick (Nubble) Lighthouse
The light was automated in 1987. In 1989, when the town of York took over the lighthouse, the town received more than 300 unsolicited applications from people wanting to be live-in caretakers.
A popular event is the annual Lighting of the Nubble, when the lighthouse and surrounding buildings are lit with Christmas lights in late November. This community event always draws a large crowd. In an attempt to spread the joy to summer visitors, volunteers organized a “Christmas in July” event, and lit the station Christmas-style in the middle of summer, much to the delight of fair weather patrons.
To get to the lighthouse by land, follow Nubble Road east from Route 1A for about a mile to Sohier Park. The Park offers an excellent view of the lighthouse, free parking, and a welcome center, which is open seasonally and offers a gift shop and public restrooms. The lighthouse and grounds are not open to the public.
The light can also be viewed from an excursion boat leaving Perkins Cove in Ogunquit and from lighthouse cruises out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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