Why Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Belongs on Every Maine Road Trip
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Off the Midcoast Maine Pemaquid Peninsula, among some of the most striking rock formations on Earth, is the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. It watches over the open sea as it has for nearly 200 years.
While you might not recognize it by name, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is one of the most photographed and visited lighthouses in Maine. In fact, many argue that it’s the “prettiest lighthouse in Maine.”
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse holds the distinction of being one of just a handful of Maine lighthouses where guests can spend the night in the former lighthouse keeper’s home. If you’re heading to the Midcoast, you’ll want to add Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and Colonial Pemaquid to your itinerary.
How to Get to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
The word “pemaquid” is Abenaki for “situated far out,” and while it seems like it’s a world away, the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is just a quick 20-minute drive from Damariscotta. Bristol Road ends at the parking lot of the lighthouse park.
Pemaquid Point separates Johns Bay from Muscongus Bay and faces the wide open water of the Atlantic. Christmas Cove is on the peninsula west of Pemaquid Point.
History of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
As with most Maine coastal communities, the Pemaquid Peninsula has a storied history, shipwrecks, and at least one ghost story.
The Abenaki People of Pemaquid
Long before postcards and parking lots, Pemaquid Point was Wabanaki land. The Abenaki people lived with the tides, fishing the rocky shore and traveling seasonally along Maine’s coast. They lived peacefully until the early 1600s.
Settler’s Arrive at Pemaquid
By the early 1600s, English settlers moved into the broader Pemaquid area, drawn by fishing, trade, and the promise of a foothold in New England.
One of the more notable incidents during the settler’s era was the ship wreck of the Angel Gabriel 240-ton ship. The ship was slightly larger than the famous Mayflower. Despite making it safely to Pemaquid Point in August 1635, a hurricane smashed it to bits the day after it landed.
Siezing Control of Pemaquid Point
But the real storm was already building on land. As English settlements expanded, tensions with the Wabanaki people escalated fast. Trade disputes, broken agreements, and pressure on fishing and hunting grounds pushed the region into repeated conflict.
When settlers weren’t fighting the Akenabki, they fought amongst themselves as England and France tried to lay claim to this land. It wasn’t until the early 1700s that English settlers found a stronghold on the peninsula.
To get another historic lookback, head to Salt Pond Point and look over the water. That’s where locals watched the British HMS Boxer be taken down by the United States Navy’s USS Enterprise during the War of 1812.
In fact, that battle was commemorated in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem My Lost Youth.
"I remember the sea-fight far away,
How it thundered o'er the tide!
And the dead captains, as they lay
In their graves, o'erlooking the tranquil bay,
Where they in battle died.
And the sound of that mournful song
Goes through me with a thrill:
"A boy's will is the wind's will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, My Lost Youth, 1858
Establishing a Lighthouse at Pemaquid Point
Even after the wars, the rocks off Pemaquid Point proved unforgiving. In response, the federal government built the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in 1827 for $4,000.
The Martin family, descendants of the Angel Gabriel survivors, owned the land. The builder of the lighthouse tower used a saltwater mix, which led to rapid deterioration. A new tower was built in 1835. That one still stands today.
Given it’s prominant position on the rocks, the tower is just thirty feet high and sixteen feet in diameter.
Adding Attractions to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
The city of Bristol purchased the lighthouse property in 1940. An art gallery and the Fisherman’s Museum were added between 1960 and 1972. Nearby, you can also visit the Hotel Pemaquid, which dates back to 1888.
While this stretch of Maine’s coastline is subject to brutal storms and shipwrecks, the biggest disaster in modern history hit in January 2024. Video shows massive waves crashing into the rocks and historic buildings. What could be repaired was fixed by September of that year.
The Geology of Pemaquid Point
Even without a lighthouse in sight, Pemaquid Point would still stop you mid-step. The rock ledges look sliced and stacked, like giant stone pages tilted toward the sea. Long slabs run at sharp angles, striped with dark seams and pale bands that make the whole shoreline feel intentionally designed, not accidental.
This drama started hundreds of millions of years ago when deep underground rock was cooked, squeezed, and folded during continental collisions. Later, glaciers scraped everything soft away, leaving the hard stuff bare and exposed.
Even today, waves exploit every crack, freeze and thaw pry the slabs wider, and storms pull at the edges. During the January 2024 storm, a 775-ton rock was ripped from the bedrock and tossed around.
You can walk the craggy shoreline of Pemaquid Point, but this is a reminder to treat each step carefully. Never walk on the rocks when the sea is angry, and always face the water.
“We had a couple that was hit by a rogue wave and thrown a good 40 feet,” Shelley Gallager, Bristol Parks and Recreation Director, said. “The wave went completely over them. I saw it happen.”
Visit Colonial Pemaquid
Both Pemaquid Point and Colonia Pemaquid are on the Pemaquid Peninsula, but they sit four miles apart. The Colonial remains and what’s left of Fort William Henry were built on a protected harbor where the Pemaquid River meets the Johns River.
Visitors who don’t want to risk the rocky ledges of Pemaquid Point can enjoy the sandy seclusion of Pemaquid Beach. We encourage visitors to explore the Beachcombers’ Discovery Center, a nature center, at the entrance to the beach.
Just a half mile from the beach, the road will end at the Colonial Pemaquid State Historic Site. Visitors get several places to explore here, including:
- Fort William Henry
- Colonial Pemaquid Museum
- Fort House
- Colonial Pemequid Cemetery
Expect to pay a small entrance fee to access Colonia Pemequid, usually less than $5 per person.
When is Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Open?
The lighthouse and surrounding park are open from mid-May through late October between 9am and 5pm. The Bristol Parks and Recreation Department oversees everything but the lighthouse tower. There’s a fee of $4 for those 12 and old and kids 5-11 years of age cost $1. Kids under four are free.
That includes access to:
- Parking Area
- Learning Center
- Fisherman’s Museum
- Art Gallery
A donation of $1 is requested to make the tower climb. The Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse operate the tower access and set a minimum height of 46 inches. The tower climb is just 39 steps to the top.
While visiting the Fisherman’s Museum, keep an eye out for a woman wearing a red shawl. This ghostly apparition is said to appear “wet and shivering,” obviously distressed. Perhaps she’s one of the victims of the many shipwrecks in these cold waters?
Stay at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Keeper’s Home
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is one of the few lighthouses that offer vacation accommodations for visitors. There’s just one apartment available to rent that sleeps 2-4 people. Wake up to the sound of seagulls and the sea, while enjoying a small kitchen, dining area, bedroom, bathroom with a shower, and a comfortable front porch. A sleeper sofa means more room for guests in the living room.
The rental stays open year-round with daily rates less than $300 and weekly rents around $1850. A minium three night stay is required from November through May.
Ghost hunters might be intrigued about this stay, as there have been reports of lighting turning off and on randomly and doors slamming when nobody else is around.
Notable Moments for Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in History
While the location of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse might not be as well-known as the Portland Head Lighthouse, we can thank famed realist painter Edward Hopper for making Pemaquid Point more popular.
He painted Pemaquid Light in 1929, using watercolor and graphite on paper. If his name doesn’t ring a bell, you might better know his Nighthawks image from 1942. Nighthawks was later reworked into Gottfried Helweind’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams, featuring famous people who died before their time: Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Elvis Presley.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse earned the distinction of being featured on the Maine state quarter in 2003. The coin shows the lighthouse atop the rocky cliff, with a windjammer offshore and a white pine tree (the Maine state tree) slightly inland.
While sometimes confused as the lighthouse where Forest Gump made his famous “I just felt like running” adventure, that’s actually the Marshall Point Lighthouse, about 10 miles as the seagull flies east.
Is Pemaquid Point the Prettiest Lighthouse in Maine?
As noted earlier, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is sometimes referred to as the “Prettiest Lighthouse in Maine.” Of course, Portland Head Lighthouse, Cape Neddick (Nubble) Lighthouse, and Bass Harbor Head Light also make that list.
Instead of trying to pick a favorite, you can now appreciate Pemaquid Point Lighthouse a little more and know that it’s not just one of the prettiest, it also shines in many other ways.