Cape Neddick Lighthouse (Nubble Lighthouse) // York, Maine

Happy Wednesday friends! As I mentioned yesterday, I am excited to spend the next couple of weeks sharing with y'all some recap posts from the girls trip that I took four years ago through New England, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia (along with some new posts from this time that I never shared also!)! I hope that it encourages you to consider taking a road trip (in part or in whole depending on your circumstances) this fall to these beautiful places in the world.

With the world slowly opening back up to some travel, the places that we went to and explored and the posts that I will be sharing are really good options (especially for those - who like myself) are extremely cautious with health reasons as we were outside and separated away from others so much. I hope that these can be adapted for your own personal needs.

I drove over to Boston and met up with my friend Ali on Saturday, September 30th. From Boston we drove through the rain north for about an hour to York, Maine, where we stopped to visit the Cape Neddick Lighthouse.

The Cape Neddick Lighthouse, also known as the Nubble Lighthouse was absolutely gorgeous with the waves crashing against the Maine coastline. It was freezing, but absolutely gorgeous.

Cape Neddick Lighthouse is located in Cape Neddick on Nubble Island in York, Maine. Commissioned in 1874 by Congress, the construction at the "Nubble" started in 1879. Congress appropriated approximately $15,000 to build the lighthouse, which is still used to this day.

There are lots of stories that surround the lighthouse, but there are three particular ones that I found really interesting.

One of the stories comes from the early 1900s. In 1912 the lighthouse keeper and his wife decided to lean into the booming tourist business that was taking place at the York beaches. They developed a thriving business that included taking tourists across to the little island where the lighthouse sits and gave tours.

Unfortunately, they were so successful that the lighthouse requirements became neglected and eventually the lighthouse keeper was fired from his position. Since that time the lighthouse has been closed to the public and has remained inaccessible.

A humorous story that came out of the Nubble Lighthouse was of another lighthouse keeper who was known to own a 19 pound cat who attracted a lot of attention. The cat was known to swim across the channel on many occasions to visit the crowds, or "his friends" on the mainland. *hahaha*

Getting food and supplies to the lighthouse proved to be a challenge, especially in the winter. Eventually in 1950 a bucket was suspended from cables from the lighthouse to the mainland. It was used for food and supplies, and on more than one occasion transported a newborn baby!

Aside from these stories emerges a rich history stating in 1602 when Bartholomew Gosnold dubbed the little island, "savage rock".

Despite the fact that many local mariners and the community had called for a lighthouse and a proposal was offered in 1837, it was later rejected.

Even after the wreck of the Isidore in 1842, the congressional approval would not come until 1874. Since its first inception in 1879, the lighthouse has remained a famous landmark that continues to provide help and protection to those traveling along the coast of Maine.

If you are interested in visiting the lighthouse it is available for viewing seven days a week. You can find out more information on the Nubble Lighthouse website by clicking HERE.

You can read all of the posts from the trip by clicking on the links below:

MAINE: