Portsmouth Harbor Light

Portsmouth Harbor Light stands within Fort Constitution in New Castle, New Hampshire, marking the entrance to Portsmouth Harbor. Established in 1771, it is among the few American lighthouses founded before the Revolution. Its light has evolved from a wooden tower with copper oil lamps to an 1804 octagonal structure, then to the present 1878 cast-iron tower built on the earlier foundation. The station also retains an 1872 keeper’s house and a 1903 oil house. Still an active aid to navigation under Coast Guard ownership, it has also been preserved through local support and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

New Castle, New Hampshire · United States