Lighthouses, CAPE NEDDICK LIGHT (NUBBLE LIGHT), NEAR YORK, MAINE
President Rutherford B. Hayes authorized the construction of the 41-foot cast iron tower of Cape Neddick Light in 1877, and the lighthouse went into service in 1879. A red oil house was built in 1902 and a walkway between the tower and the keeper’s house was added in 1911. The lighthouse stands on a small island just offshore, popularly known as The Nubble. Surrounding the light tower on a rail are miniature cast iron lighthouses. When NASA sent the Voyager II in 1977 a photograph of Nubble Light was included with items designed to teach extraterrestrials about life on planet Earth. One terrestrial inhabitant of Cape Neddick Light was a 19-pound cat, reputed to be the best mouser in Maine. The cat would periodically swim the channel to visit friends on the mainland, then return to the island to deal with the mice.
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