Pemaquid Point Light, on the rocky tip of Pemaquid Neck in Bristol, is one of Maine’s best-known lighthouses, shaped by a striking coastal landscape and a long history of rebuilding and modernization. Commissioned in 1827 by President John Quincy Adams, it was replaced in 1835 after the first tower failed because salt water had been used in the mortar. Its lighting evolved from candlelit reflectors to a fourth-order Fresnel lens installed in 1856, one of only six still in service in Maine. Later associated with keeper Marcus A. Hanna, the station was automated in 1934 and remains a widely recognized Maine landmark.