Portland Head Lighthouse (474 Piece Wooden Jigsaw Puzzle)

One of the most instantly recognizable United States lighthouses, Portland Head, has long protected Portland, Maine and the surrounding area.It sits on a rocky point at the entrance to Portland Harbor. Standing watch over the surrounding areas of Cape Elizabeth and Casco Bay.The original tower measured 72 feet from base to lantern deck and was lit with 16 whale oil lamps. It was first lit on January 10, 1791, and is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. Oil lamps were later replaced with a Fresnel Lens.It was the first lighthouse completed by the United States government in 1790, with Congress appropriating $1500 for its completion. A fiscally minded President George Washington asked that the tower be built from local rubblestone, which could be "handled nicely when hauled by oxen on a drag."Harsh weather and fog abound at Portland Head in winter. There are tales of an evening when the lighthouse keeper's wife knitted in a chair beside the window. Their dog was growling so fiercely that sh