Portland Observatory

The Portland Observatory was built in 1807 in Portland, Maine. The tower is a wooden lattice tower with a stone foundation. He is the last maritime signal tower in the United States.

Portland has a deep harbor, which is protected by numerous islands. The ships are using a port not visible from the hills, which causes problems for the merchants caused, trying to prepare for the arrival of cargoes. This problem was solved in 1807 when Captain Lemuel Moody to build a lookout tower on the hill Munjoy Portland organized, visible from the ocean and pier. During the war of 1812, the tower was used as a watchtower. The 26.2 -meter-high tower with 7 storeys is octagonal and is 68 meters above sea level. The " lantern" of the tower included a telescope, with which one could see ships 56 km to the sea. This telescope was dismantled in 1939. The tower was renovated several times.

The Portland Observatory was founded in 1972 on the list of national monuments in the United States and recorded in 2006 by the American Society of Civil Engineers in the List of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks.