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A 90-acre oceanfront park in Cape Elizabeth built around the site of a former U.S. Army fort, with rocky cliffs, walking paths, picnic areas, and the ruins of the Goddard Mansion. It's best known as the home of Portland Head Light, but its cliffside trails and Atlantic views are worth the visit on their own.
Private Tours
A private vehicle and local driver-guide take you through downtown Portland and the South Portland lighthouses, with admission to Portland Head Light at Fort Williams Park, before heading down the coast to Kennebunkport.
Private Tours
A private guided tour of coastal Maine starting at Portland Head Light and continuing up the coast to the picturesque harbor village of Boothbay Harbor, with a walk across its historic 1901 Footbridge.
Visitor guide
Fort Williams Park is a 90-acre town park in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, built on the grounds of a former U.S. Army coastal fort. It is the setting for Portland Head Light, and its lawns, shoreline paths and stone fortification remnants make it a destination in its own right.
Army land purchases at Portland Head began in 1872, and the Friends of Fort Williams Park say defensive construction started as early as 1873, though the area was not formally a military reservation until 1891. Concrete batteries went in during the late 1890s, and the post was named in 1899 for Brevet Major General Seth Williams, a Civil War era Army staff officer. The fort expanded after 1900 with barracks, officers' quarters and a hospital, and it was active in both World Wars. Sources say its guns were never fired in combat. By 1944 the original batteries and cannons had been removed and the fort served as an administrative headquarters.
The fort closed in the early 1960s. According to the Friends of Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth residents voted to buy the fort and the town acquired it on December 1, 1964. After proposals ranging from a science park to housing, the Cape Elizabeth Town Council designated the site Fort Williams Park on July 23, 1979. In the 1970s the town buried much of the old gun batteries to reduce maintenance costs.
The lighthouse predates the fort. Construction began in 1787 under a directive from George Washington, and the light was first lit on January 10, 1791. The tower stands 80 feet above ground, and its beacon is visible from about 24 miles away. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light and fog signal, while the town owns the grounds and keeper's house, which now holds a museum. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The Goddard Mansion, designed by architect Charles A. Alexander for businessman Colonel John Goddard, was built in the 1850s, with sources giving 1853 or 1858 as the start and 1859 as completion. The federal government acquired it in 1900 and used it as quarters for noncommissioned officers. When the town took it over it was deteriorating, and its interior was burned in a controlled fire in the 1980s, leaving the stone shell. Check with the town about what access to the structure is currently allowed.
The park has trails, picnic areas, athletic courts and a ball field, and the Beach to Beacon 10K is its largest annual event. Check the town and the lighthouse museum for current rules, hours and parking. A Voyzo private tour can include the park with door-to-door pickup, so you can enjoy the shoreline without worrying about parking.
See every tour and attraction we cover in Portland, Maine.
