Museum & Gift Shop

The Portland Head Light museum is situated in the former keepers’ house, which was built in 1891 as a duplex for the Head Keeper and the Assistant Keeper and their families. The museum tells the history of Portland Head Light through a variety of exhibits that display different artifacts and documents, navigational aids, Fresnel lenses, models, and photographs. You can follow a historical timeline to guide your tour through the museum, starting with the origin of the lighthouse and the lives of the keepers, technology changes over the last two centuries, the military activities at Ft. Williams, and ending with the decommissioning and automation of Portland Head Light in 1989. The museum started operating in 1992. Please note that the lighthouse tower is only open to the public one day per year, on Maine Open Lighthouse Day.

Individual models depicting changes to the lighthouse,equipment and keeper's house from 1791-1891
Individual models depicting changes to the lighthouse, equipment, and keeper's house from 1791-1891

Go here for Museum Hours »