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OPEN DAILY 9:30 to 5

Into the Lantern: A Lighthouse Experience

Into the Lantern: A Lighthouse Experience, a full-scale replication of the Cape Elizabeth Two Lights lighthouse tower lantern room, allows visitors to see the original second-order Fresnel lens from the east tower at Two Lights and experience the environment of the lantern room through time-lapsed video projections featuring a panorama of the Gulf of Maine that changes with the weather and seasons. This immersive exhibit is the first of its kind anywhere.

lantern_opening_055“The Into the Lantern exhibit at the Maine Maritime Museum is a beautifully designed, immersive experience that does justice to the ‘jewel of the lighthouse,’ the Fresnel lens. These beautiful works of functional art were one of the pinnacles of 19th century technology, and it’s wonderful to see one displayed in such a thoughtful way. I have visited many lens exhibits in many museums, and this is the best I’ve seen.” – Jeremy D’Entremont, author and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation.

 

“Simply put, if you have imagined what it might be like to experience serene and stormy scenes from atop a lighthouse – all the while basking in the warm glow of a breathtaking Fresnel lens, then the Maine Maritime Museum’s Into the Lantern exhibit is for YOU!  The recreated majesty of Cape Elizabeth’s lantern is literally stunning. This one-of-a-kind experience will astound the visitor with its exquisite beauty, detail and ability to transport admirers back in time when lighthouse keepers kept a vigilant eye seaward as they helped protect the mariner from the perils of the sea. If you desire one lighthouse experience that will prove to be both amazing and memorable, then Into the Lantern is a must-see!” – Bob Trapani, Executive Director, American Lighthouse Foundation

Thank you to the generous donors who supported this project:

Anonymous

Charles and Elizabeth Barker

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Geoffrey and Lindsay Alexander

Anonymous

Stephen and Joanne Caulfield

Harry W. Konkel

National Park Service, Maritime Heritage Program

Susan and Jackson Parker

Portland Head Light Fund

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William and Sally Gemmill

The Edgard and Geraldine Feder Foundation, Inc.

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The Morton-Kelly Charitable Trust

Martin and Elizabeth Lakeman

Charles and Gerry Orem

David M. Porter

John and Sheila Zittel

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Paul and Giselaine Coulombe

Karl and Joan Lauenstein

Michael and Rande May

The Reny Charitable Foundation

Joseph and Susan Spagnola

Mary Louise and Phineas Sprague

Dix and Nancy Druce

Christopher and Jane Flower

John, Elizabeth, Louis & Kelley Frumer

Marshall and Catherine Goldman

Chuck and Shelby Hodgkins

Maine Antique Dealers Association

P.W. Sprague Memorial Foundation

Seth and Laura Sprague

Elena D. Vandervoort

Jennifer G. Yahr

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Peter and Becky Alter

Verna W. Andrews

Joel and Kim Bassett

David C. Bellows

Philip C.  Blauvelt

William and Karen Burke

Kimberley and Christopher Byrd

Peter and Susan Dublin

Julie Sheehan and Caroline, Charles, and Charlotte Emerson

Bill and Karen Gallagher

Richard and Cate Gilbane

Diana and Joseph Govern

Virgil and Nancy Hancock

Anne K. Hewes

Nick and Joan Hurd

Cy and Gail Kendrick

Wendell and Suelle Large

Kent and Ernestine Lawrence

Marjorie N. Platou

The Redmond Family Foundation

John and Mathilde Rothwell

Gregory and Pamela Salerno

David and Trisha Sheaff

Jack and Sibyl Tingley

Jay M. Trudeau

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With special thanks to architectural firm Barba + Wheelock; and builder, Zachau Construction

Maine Maritime Museum