The Portland Observatory has been a fixture in the Munjoy Hill neighborhood of Maine's largest city since its construction. This unique structure is the only maritime signal tower still standing in the United States, and is as a testament to the city's success in maritime trade. The construction of this tower was borne out of necessity: as Casco Bays numerous islands blocked views of approaching ships from the wharves (which meant that merchants would not have sufficient time to prepare for the arrival of the ships), captain and entrepreneur Lemuel Moody constructed this signal tower, which stands 222 feet above sea level, to facilitate communication between approaching ships in the bay and merchants in the port. The tower proved to be an invaluable component of the city's shipping industry from the first days of its operation through 1923, when radio communication rendered the tower obsolete. It was reactivated in World War II and served as a lookout tower for enemy vessels and aircraft; after the war, it stood vacant before ultimately being converted into a museum. The tower itself has been restored three times in the last hundred years, yet it retains a considerable degree of its original building materials and its historic character. The octagonal timber-frame tower is built upon a stone rubble foundation and remains on its original site.
Year Listed: 1973
National Historic Landmark: 2006
For more information: http://www.portlandlandmarks.org/observatory/
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/AssetDetail?assetID=c8c44b47-7850-4c32-9380-5ded5c7b7b11