The station was established in 1771 and was the 10th of 11 light stations established prior to the American Revolution. The first tower was a shingled wooden structure with an iron lantern and copper roof. Its light source was three copper oil lamps. The first tower was replaced in 1804 by an octagonal wooden tower approximately east of the 1771 tower. In 1851, twenty years after the establishment of Whaleback Lighthouse, the tower was shortened to. Three years later, in 1854, the tower was fitted with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. In 1878, a new cast-iron, brick-lined lighthouse tower was erected on the same foundation as the 1804 tower. When the new tower was completed, the surrounding remains of the 1804 tower were removed. The current light is a fixed green signal that is visible for. The light is made green by an acrylic cylinder that surrounds the lens. Other structures at the light station that are still standing are the 1903 oil house and the 1872 keeper's house. The lighthouse was added to National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses
Founded in 2001, the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses are a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The mission of the Friends is to work for the preservation of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and associated structures, as well as to gather and preserve the history of the important historic site and to share these resources with the public. The United States Coast Guard owns Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse and still maintains the active aids to navigation equipment. The group is licensed through ALF to care for the tower, oil house, and wooden walkway. As of November 2008, the Friends are also responsible for Whaleback Lighthouse, and altered the chapter name to reflect this.
In October 2008, the Ghost Hunters team of Jason Hawes, Grant Wilson, and others investigated possible paranormal activity at the lighthouse, keeper's house, and Fort Constitution. The episode aired December 10, 2008, on the Sci Fi Channel. This investigation came almost two years after the independent TV showScared! filmed at the Portsmouth Lighthouse. The two episodes of the two different shows both featured investigations of the lighthouse as well as the keeper's house and the nearby Fort Constitution. Jeremy D'Entremont of the Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse provided on- and off-screen history for both shows.
