The red-painted wooden tower above Munjoy Hill is the eastern landmark of Portland and the climb up is one of the great small experiences of the city. From the lantern room at the top you look down on the whole peninsula, across Casco Bay to the islands, and up the coast on a clear day as far as Mount Washington.
Open seasonally May through October with guided tours every half hour. Tickets are inexpensive and the volunteer docents are knowledgeable about both the building and the city below it.
A story
The eighty-six-foot octagonal wooden tower on Munjoy Hill is the last surviving maritime signal station in the United States. Built in 1807 by retired Captain Lemuel Moody, its job was to spot ships through a powerful telescope while they were still hours from harbour and run up coded flag signals so that merchants could prepare warehouses, crews, and pilots. The tower paid for itself by subscription from those merchants — one of the earliest examples of crowd-funded urban infrastructure in America.