Harpswell’s Halfway Rock lighthouse preservationist receives Maritime History Service Award

On Oct. 24, Ford Reiche attended the National Maritime Historical Society's Annual Awards Dinner, where he was honored for preserving a piece of Maine's rich seafaring history.

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Halfway Rock lighthouse gets its name from its location in the middle of Casco Bay, halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Small, on a 2-acre ledge 10 miles out to sea. Derek Davis / Portland Press Herald

Sitting atop a jagged pile of rocks off the coast of Harpswell is the Halfway Rock Light Station, neglected and battered by Mother Nature for over 40 years. Starting in 2016, Ford Reiche worked to revitalize the historic structure.

That work has now been recognized by a national historic preservation organization.

After receiving multiple accolades, including the American Lighthouse Foundation’s 2017 Keeper of Light Award, Reiche was selected for this year’s National Maritime Historical Society (NMHS) Distinguished Service Award.

On Oct. 24, nautical enthusiasts gathered at the New York Yacht Club to celebrate the 2024 honorees: Reiche; Dr. Sylvia Earle, a marine explorer; and Dr. John B. Hattendorf, a naval historian. Each individual was praised for their contributions to the preservation of maritime heritage.

Reiche expressed gratitude for the recognition and mentioned previous award recipients, such as Walter Cronkite, Ted Turner and two secretaries of the U.S. Navy, highlighting his appreciation for joining such company.

“The work I have been able to do for Maine’s lighthouses has been personally gratifying,” Reiche said. “Even still, this award is an honor.”

Ford Reiche at Halfway Rock Lighthouse, taken shortly after property acquisition. Jeremy D’Entremont photo

Reiche distinguished himself among the other candidates considered for the award by restoring several buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, most notably the Halfway Rock Light Station.

“Ford exhibits the kind of preservation ethic that the society works to promote in all people,” said Catherine Green, president of the National Maritime Historical Society, noting his 2018 book “Halfway Rock Light Station.” “Through documentation of this nationally significant property, [he] exemplifies the heart of a true preservationist.”

The 1871 granite conical tower, located 10 miles offshore from Portland, sits at the mouth of Casco Bay, halfway — hence the name — between Cape Elizabeth to the west and Cape Small to the east.

Halfway Rock was a “stag lighthouse,” deemed unfit for families by the government for years. As Reiche explained, the harshest wave-swept stations were only managed by men.

By 2012, after significant erosion, the building became one of nation’s the most endangered lighthouses. Its windows and doors were nearly all broken, birds had nested inside, and debris and water had surged within.

In 2014, the federal government offered the property for free to nonprofit organizations; however, those groups needed more resources to tackle the project. The following year, Reiche purchased the property at auction for $283,000. He quickly assembled a team to restore the exterior and reconstruct the interior spaces to reflect its original design.

“Thanks to Ford, seafarers will continue to be protected from this dangerous rock,” said Earle G. Shettleworth Jr., a Maine state historian and Reiche’s cousin. “The proud stone tower will continue to battle the breakers from the other end of the Earth.”

Ford Reiche, left, and director Rob Apse, near Halfway Rock Light Station during the filming of “The Last Lightkeepers.” Courtesy of Rob Apse

A businessman and self-taught historian, Reiche has restored four buildings and two railroad stations — the 1851 Gilead Railroad Station and the 1906 Grand Truck Railroad Station in Yarmouth. But his work is far from over.

Last spring, when the federal government announced it was giving away another aging offshore beacon, Harpswell’s Little Mark Island Monument, Reiche’s group, the Presumpscot Foundation, jumped at the chance. Eyeing their next venture, they began working with the town to acquire the property.

A mile from the tip of Bailey Island, Little Mark juts out, its distinctive stone chimney reaching 55 feet above the waves.

This pyramid-shaped chimney, built in 1827, was initially used to signal for help in the event of a shipwreck by starting a fire. In 1927, a lightbulb was added to the top, transforming it into a lighthouse.

According to Reiche, the building requires minimal restoration. If awarded, he aims to repair the cracked stone atop the tower and remove the bushes growing from the masonry, marking his fifth project on the National Register of Historic Places.

After the storms in January 2024, Reiche and Bob Trapani Jr., the American Lighthouse Foundation executive director, used a helicopter to assess the damage to 23 of Maine’s lighthouses, including Halfway Rock and Little Mark.

Their footage was compiled into a three-minute video mentioned at the NMHS award dinner as a reminder of the importance of fortifying historic coastal structures.

“I find myself drawn to architecturally or historically important sites,” Reiche said. “The significant damage caused to a full third of Maine’s lighthouses, as a result of January’s storms, is a warning sign that climate change is serving up a whole new set of challenges.”

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