The Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse had a good year. Of greatest importance was the news that the Trust had received a grant of $30,000 through the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation Study (PACTS) to repair the canopy. This funding was made possible through to good offices of Jeff Jordan, City Manager of the City of South Portland.

The Trust must provide a ten percent match, which can be accomplished. The actual contracts will be managed by the Maine Department of Transportation under the specifications provided by us. This means that work could actually begin this Fall, or more likely, next Spring.

In addition to the canopy repairs, we expect that the repairs to the lower caisson can be handled by the same contractor. This involves filling the many cracks in the caisson and repainting it.

Funding for this phase has already been obtained through lighthouse tours, contributions from individuals, the City of South Portland and a grant from the United States Lighthouse Society. For the Trust, this is a major step forward in meeting our charge of maintaining and rehabilitating our lighthouse!

The lighthouse was open for public tours three times during the summer. Attendance was off a bit with just over 300 touring the tower. But, as always, folks seemed to really enjoy themselves. And there were several private tours, including one for the members of the museum.

In addition to minor repairs made by Trust members, our biggest activity has been to furnish the interior of the lighthouse as it might have been circa 1900. This has been accomplished with the help of many donations of furniture and utensils from museum members and others in the community. Now it really looks like the old keeper could be living there!

The third level has been converted into a gallery with five pictorial panels detailing the history of the lighthouse through one hundred years, the tower's construction and explaining how the machinery worked before electricity.

Additional work involves obtaining smaller things like more kerosene lamps, an inkwell, and little items to give it more "lived in" look. We also hope to rebuild the cabinet and shelves which once graced the first level, but were removed many years ago.

We have embarked on a formal effort to compile a more concise history of the lighthouse. This may involve a trip to Washington, DC to dig into Coast Guard archives and possibly the National Archives. But even without such a mission, we continually learn more from local people who recall events, or who had relatives involved with the lighthouse. So, if you, or anyone you know has such information, please let us know. Call Rusty Nelson at 767-7488.

Once again this year, the lighthouse will be adorned with a large Christmas wreath and have lights around several levels. Look for it in early December. And last, but not least, we have a wonderful new web site so you can take a virtual tour: