The Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse is the most-photographed lighthouse in America, and the oldest. It was commissioned by (then) President George Washington. Every lighthouse in America has its own distinctive lighting characteristic and fog horn sound, so that no matter where you were sailing along a coastline in foul weather, you could distinguish where you were near based on the light pattern and/or fog horn's sound/timing. They are considered navigational aids. The earliest lighthouses burned whale oil, then later changed to using kerosene and modern day ones use electricity. Current day, only ONE lighthouse in America is still actually "manned" by a human, and she is a woman. That lighthouse is in Boston, MA.
The day we saw it the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Sorry for all the photos but it was just THAT beautiful!