WayfarrowPortland Breakwater Light
Lighthouse · Cumberland County, Maine
Portland Breakwater Light is a lighthouse in Cumberland County, Maine. Maine has 70 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Cumberland County.
It was built in 1875, in the late 19th century, making it the 36th oldest of the 61 in Maine with a recorded construction date; its light sits 33 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 4s (a white flash every 4 seconds); it was deactivated in 1942; the recorded designer or builder is Thomas Ustick Walter.
Status check, 2026-11: "Bug Light" is an 1875 cast-iron tower that replaced the 1855 wooden one (the record's 1855 date is the old tower). It was relit in 2002 as a private aid to navigation, and sources give its height as anywhere from 24 to 26 ft. Portland Breakwater Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 43.6555° N, 70.2349° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1875 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 33 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 4s |
| Deactivated | 1942 |
| Designer / builder | Thomas Ustick Walter |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 43.65552, -70.23485 |
Nearby places
- Spring Point Ledge Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 0.6 mi
- Portland Head Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 2.6 mi
- Ram Island Ledge Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 2.9 mi
- Rigbyghost town · Cumberland County · 4.6 mi
- Lone Creek Villageghost town · Cumberland County · 4.7 mi
- Grubb Hillghost town · Cumberland County · 4.9 mi
- Summit View Parkghost town · Cumberland County · 5.1 mi
- Riverton Covered Bridgecovered bridge · Cumberland County · 5.6 mi
- Cape Elizabeth Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 6.4 mi
- Cape Elizabeth Light (western tower)lighthouse · Cumberland County · 6.5 mi
- West Falmouthghost town · Cumberland County · 6.6 mi
- Village of Halidonghost town · Cumberland County · 6.8 mi
Questions
Where is Portland Breakwater Light?
Portland Breakwater Light is in Cumberland County, Maine, at 43.6555, -70.2349.
How many lighthouses are in Cumberland County?
Cumberland County, Maine has 8 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.