American Lighthouse Foundation

American Lighthouse Foundation The American Lighthouse Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to saving America's historic lighthouses.

ALF has stewardship responsibility for 13 of our nation’s lighthouses and has invested over $6.25 million dollars in lighthouse restoration.

"For every one of us there is an appeal in these isolated sentinels, suggesting hope and trust. Standing alone on the oc...
09/02/2026

"For every one of us there is an appeal in these isolated sentinels, suggesting hope and trust. Standing alone on the ocean highways, they represent the eternal watchfulness of their keepers, whose slogan through the ages has been vigilance." - Edward Rowe Snow, Famous Lighthouses of America, 1955

Owls Head Light's fourth order Fresnel lens aglow.

(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

We do very well to restore and preserve lighthouses, but we do even better when lighthouses are then shared with people ...
09/02/2026

We do very well to restore and preserve lighthouses, but we do even better when lighthouses are then shared with people near and far through educational public access programs.

The Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, excels at both preservation and public access/education, which is helping to ensure this historic treasure will be sustained well into the future!

Pomham Rocks Lighthouse is located in Riverside, Rhode Island.

Lighthouses and their connections to the sea…“From lighthouse restoration and education to light station climate resilie...
09/01/2026

Lighthouses and their connections to the sea…

“From lighthouse restoration and education to light station climate resiliency and marine mammal protection initiatives, strategic collaborations with historic preservation and coastal conservation stakeholders are key to a brighter future for all that we hold dear.” – Bob Trapani, Jr., Executive Director, American Lighthouse Foundation

Shown here are representatives from the Essex National Heritage Commission, American Lighthouse Foundation and MotionInfo, aboard the Essex Heritage landing craft, “Naumkeag,” on August 4, 2026.

The group journeyed out to Bakers Island Lighthouse, located at the entrance to Salem Sound (five miles from Salem, MA), to install MotionInfo’s StationKeeper system inside the historic 1820 sentinel.

StationKeeper is an AIS-based technology designed to help protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale – cutting-edge technology that is presently hosted in a growing number of lighthouses from Maine to Florida.

Bakers Island Light Station

"Digging potatoes and painting have been our occupations lately. Days are getting short and cooler, and soon we shall be...
09/01/2026

"Digging potatoes and painting have been our occupations lately. Days are getting short and cooler, and soon we shall be gathered about the fire, telling of the beautiful summer and the good times we had." - from an excerpted letter by Ruel Walter Powers, Keeper, Perkins Island Lighthouse, Kennebec River, Maine, to the Courier Gazette newspaper on September 21, 1935.

Perkins Island Lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation.

(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

From this morning...a low tide view of the 1872 Whaleback Lighthouse. The wave-swept sentinel, located in Kittery, Maine...
08/31/2026

From this morning...a low tide view of the 1872 Whaleback Lighthouse.

The wave-swept sentinel, located in Kittery, Maine - at the entrance to the Piscataqua River, is owned by the American Lighthouse Foundation.

Whaleback Lighthouse remains an active aid to navigation and is maintained by the USCG Aids to Navigation Team, South Portland, Maine.

Great capture, Josh!

(Photo by Josh McPhail)

Little River Lighthouse welcomed 50 to 60 people from the local Head of the Harbor Church today, on what proved to be a ...
08/30/2026

Little River Lighthouse welcomed 50 to 60 people from the local Head of the Harbor Church today, on what proved to be a fine Sunday morning for a worship service at the island light station!

(Photo by Joe Dowling)

Reminders of our storied lighthouse history do not just reside at historic light stations, museums or in books past and ...
08/30/2026

Reminders of our storied lighthouse history do not just reside at historic light stations, museums or in books past and present.

Tributes to this legacy aglow can be discovered in our communities as well, such as this granite bench outside Maine's Camden Public Library.

According to the library's website, "...the one-of-a-kind Children’s Garden created by Stroudwater Design Group of Yarmouth, is a quiet place to share a book with a child. The granite bench supports are cut in the shape of books whose titles represent contributions Maine authors and illustrators have made to literature."

Talk about cool!

(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

In the shadow of 48-foot tall Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, much in the way of amazing history lingers. Learn about this...
08/29/2026

In the shadow of 48-foot tall Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, much in the way of amazing history lingers.

Learn about this history - past and present, during a fun-filled tour of the 1878 sentinel.

To view the tour schedule and to reserve YOUR tickets today, visit…

https://www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org/open-houses-tours/

(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Check out this great capture of Little River Lighthouse by ALF volunteer Aileen Semonsen. Delightful!
08/29/2026

Check out this great capture of Little River Lighthouse by ALF volunteer Aileen Semonsen. Delightful!

ALF Executive Director Bob Trapani, Jr. presented a program today at the fully restored 1908 Wood Island Life-Saving Sta...
08/27/2026

ALF Executive Director Bob Trapani, Jr. presented a program today at the fully restored 1908 Wood Island Life-Saving Station in Kittery, Maine, entitled, “United States Coast Guard: Still Keeping a Good Light.”

The Wood Island Life-Saving Station is a MUST SEE! This seven million dollar restoration project is a gold standard effort for historic maritime preservation.

Wood Island Life Saving Station Association

(Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)

Address

186 Lighthouse Road
Owls Head, ME
04854

Telephone

(207)5944174

Website

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