Portland Head Light - Cape Elizabeth, ME
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 43° 37.383 W 070° 12.470
19T E 402551 N 4830715
Portland Head Light is depicted on the 18 cent flag over lighthouse stamp.
Waymark Code: WMC4NF
Location: Maine, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2011
Views: 24
Unidentified as such, but obvious to those who have visited the Maine coast, the image on the 18 cent flag over lighthouse stamp is Portland Head Light which is the oldest and arguably the most famous and photographed lighthouse in America built by the government. It was constructed at the direction of President George Washington and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1787.
This historic lighthouse is located in Cape Elizabeth at the entrance to Casco Bay and is now a part of Fort Williams Park. The light has been upgraded over the years. In 1855, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed only to be replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens. That in turn was replaced by an aero beacon in 1958 until a DCB-224 aero beacon was installed in 1991.
Portland Head Light is 80 feet above ground and 101 feet above the Atlantic Ocean. The DCB 224 beacon, rated at 200,000 candlepower, is visible from 24 miles out to sea. The grounds, and keeper's house are owned by the town of Cape Elizabeth, while the beacon, and fog signal are owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1973.
The definitive coil stamp was issued as part of the "flag over ..." series by the United States in 1981 to meet the first class postage rate.
Stamp Issuing Country: United States
Date of Issue: April 24, 1981
Denomination: 18 cents
Color: red, white, blue and brown
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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