Two Lights State Park
The Two Lights State Park is a State Park in Cumberland County in the US state of Maine . The 16 hectare park is located on Maine's rocky coast east of the city of Portland on Casco Bay near Cape Elizabeth .
history
| The Lighthouse at Two Lights |
|---|
| Edward Hopper , 1929 |
| Oil on canvas |
| 74.9 x 109.9 cm |
|
Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York City
Link to the picture |
The state park was established in 1961. The park's name comes from the two beacons that were erected in 1828. The eastern beacon is still active and is called the Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse . In 1963 the beacon was automated and in 1974 the lighthouse was entered on the National Register of Historic Places . The western beacon was decommissioned in 1924 and is now privately owned. Cape Elizabeth Light served Edward Hopper as a motif for several watercolors and paintings, including his 1929 picture The Lighthouse at Two Lights . During the Second World War, a coastal battery was installed on the bay . Bunkers and a concrete observation tower are still preserved, but not accessible.
Tourist facilities
There is a fee to visit the park. The park has a picnic area with views over Casco Bay. About one kilometer south is the 98 acre Crescent Beach State Park , which opened in 1966 on a 1.5 kilometer long, crescent-shaped sandy beach. The beach is used for a variety of leisure and water sports activities, behind the beach there is a wooded belt of dunes through which walking paths lead. In winter, cross-country trails are groomed in the park.
literature
- Barbara Sinotte: Maine: A Guide to the State Parks, National Parks & Historic sites. Kindle Edition 2010
Web links
- Internet presence of Two Lights State Park
- Crescent Beach State Park website
- History of beacons
- Two Lights State Park on the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System
Coordinates: 43 ° 33 ′ 38.3 " N , 70 ° 12 ′ 21.2" W.