Jan. 17—After two storms walloped the Maine coast last January, devastating waterfront communities and causing more than $70 million in damage, Ford Reiche boarded a helicopter to check on nearly two dozen lighthouses.
Reiche, who owns a lighthouse off the coast of Harpswell, said the damage he documented showed the significant threat the lighthouses face from rising sea levels and more intense storms. Docks were washed away, windows and doors smashed, foundations undermined.
“It was unprecedented,” he said. He also saw it as a call to action.
Maine’s lighthouses were added this week to World Monument Watch’s list of heritage sites threatened by a variety of forces, including neglect, wars and extreme weather driven by climate change. It was the first time any sites in Maine appeared on the list.
The state’s 66 lighthouses, in spots along the coast that were already vulnerable, are increasingly threatened by sea level rise and intensifying coastal storms, creating a challenge for stewards of the historic structures have to figure out how to repair them — and mitigate future damage.
“This listing highlights the global importance of Maine’s lighthouses. Sadly, it also highlights the intense stress we’re dealing with with climate change in the state of Maine,” said Reiche, who worked with staff from the American Lighthouse Foundation and Maine Preservation to submit the nomination to World Monument Watch.
The organization’s listing includes 66 lighthouses built between 1791 — when Portland Head Light became the first beacon along the coast — and 1910. Of those, 57 still guide sailors using automated light systems, although ownership of the lighthouses has been transferred to local and state government agencies, nonprofits and private individuals.
The Gulf of Maine is warming faster than 99% of the ocean surfaces on the planet, meaning the rate of change in rising seas and storm surges impacting Maine’s light stations is among the most extreme, according to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.
“The widespread damage caused by the January 2024 storms has forever changed the conversation and course of lighthouse preservation in Maine and beyond,” said Bob Trapani Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Tara Kelly, executive director of Maine Preservation, said now is the time to develop strategies to adapt Maine’s lighthouses to be more resilient.
“They can be repaired, prepared and adapted — serving as a model for other vulnerable cultural resources along coasts around the globe,” Kelly said in a statement.
The two organizations plan to use the list to lead a discussion about disaster recovery and climate resilience planning and action, with a goal of helping lighthouse stewards find the resources needed to recover and prepare for future storms.
As the towns and organizations that maintain lighthouses fix damage from last year’s storms, many are already taking steps to make the buildings stronger.
DAMAGING STORMS
Light stations were purposefully positioned on low-lying peninsulas and on small outcroppings along the most exposed parts of the coast, where they are needed to help guide mariners. They have always taken the brunt of coastal storms, but the strong waves and winds last January caused an estimated $5.5 million in damage, according to the American Lighthouse Foundation.
The damage was particularly severe at Pemaquid Point Light, located at the entrance of Muscongus Bay and Johns Bay in Bristol. The nearly 200-year-old lighthouse tower was somewhat protected from the strongest waves, but 79 mph wind gusts and surges toppled an entire wall of the historic Bell House. Bricks from two walls were scattered, exposing the interior to the elements.
The lighthouse keeper’s house was also damaged by waves and rocks that were thrown against it. When crews arrived to make repairs, they added stainless steel turnbuckles between the layers of bricks to bolt the Bell House to the bedrock. They added fiberglass rebar to that structure and new waterproofing material to both buildings.
“We have to try to make them stronger in case there are stronger storms coming in,” said Shelley Gallagher, director of Bristol Parks and Recreation.
The lighthouse tower, keeper’s house and Bell House are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which limits changes to the outside of the buildings, Gallagher said.
Reiche said that’s a common challenge for lighthouse stewards, many of whom have limited resources to make repairs and adapt the buildings to be more resilient. They must also navigate federal regulations.
“If you just repair what was there, you’re going to suffer the same harm again,” he said. “To prepare for the future, you need to modify these historic buildings. They’re going to look a little different than they used to.”
Reiche bought Halfway Rock, a former Coast Guard lighthouse, in 2016 and undertook a painstaking renovation. The lighthouse was battered by the storms last winter; the underpinnings of the dock were wiped out when boulders moved around in rough seas. Waves were so high they ripped shingles off the second story of the boat house and broke all the windows on the first and second floors. All of the building’s equipment and electronics were under water.
PREPARING FOR CLIMATE IMPACTS
Portland Head Light, perhaps Maine’s most iconic lighthouse, emerged from the 2024 storms relatively unscathed, but was battered by a Christmas Eve storm in 2022. Strong waves broke windows and doors, flooding the inside and its museum. It cost Cape Elizabeth $200,000 to repair the lighthouse.
Last January, town staff prepared for the storm surge by boarding up windows, limiting the damage to the walkway, observation area and a noncritical door. But officials warned that there’s only so much the lighthouse can sustain.
“It’s becoming clear that climate change is irreversible, and events like the lighthouse facing direct waves and Shore Road flooding are likely to become more frequent,” facilities director Dave Bagdasarian said last year. “In the face of these challenges, our unwavering commitment persists, and we are dedicated to positioning ourselves to the best of our abilities in order to safeguard the valuable assets of our town.”
In York, town officials are working on an update to the master plan in hopes of pursuing a renovation of the area near Nubble Lighthouse to make it more resilient, said Peter Murray, director of parks and recreation. Nubble sits on a rocky island and is viewed by visitors from Sohier Park, where there is a gift shop, parking area and benches.
The lighthouse itself wasn’t damaged last January, but did need repairs after the Christmas 2022 storm.
“It sits up high and is a pretty resilient facility but does require constant maintenance because of the environment it sits in,” Murray said.
The bigger concern there is the park, where thousands of people stop each summer to see the lighthouse. Last year, a significant storm surge undermined the parking area and flooded the gift shop. Murray said the town would like to raise low-lying areas in the park and make other adjustments to protect from future storms.
Reiche believes the recent storm damage and the inclusion of the lighthouses on the World Monument Watch list will raise public awareness about the need to do more to protect the lighthouses, both because they are important navigational aids for boaters and because of their history.
“They’re an important part of what makes Maine, Maine. It gives us a sense of place and time,” he said. “It’s particularly urgent because these lighthouses were intentionally placed in harm’s way so they could be the beacon. ‘In harm’s way’ has a whole new meaning now.”
Copy the Story Link