Portsmouth Harbor Light at Fort Constitution
25 Wentworth Road
New Castle, NH
A cast-iron lighthouse standing beside the walls of a fort where colonists seized the King's gunpowder months before Lexington and Concord.
At the mouth of the Piscataqua River, where the water runs fast between New Hampshire and Maine, a small cast-iron lighthouse stands beside the weathered walls of an old fort. Portsmouth Harbor Light has guided ships into one of the best deep-water ports on the East Coast for more than two centuries, and a lighthouse has marked this exact spot since 1771.
The ground it shares is older and more storied still. Fort Constitution, originally the colonial Fort William and Mary, was the scene of a raid in December 1774, months before the war officially began, when hundreds of New Hampshire men overran the small British garrison and carried off the King's gunpowder. Standing here, you are at the meeting point of a working harbor, a Revolutionary flashpoint, and a beloved lighthouse.
What Guests Love
- A classic New England lighthouse you can walk right up to
- The stone walls of Fort Constitution, site of one of the first overt acts of the Revolution
- Watching ships, tugs, and submarines move through the harbor mouth
- The winding, historic streets of New Castle around it
Worth Knowing
- The fort grounds are open, but the lighthouse itself is on Coast Guard property and opens only on scheduled tour days
- Parking is limited, so arrive early on summer weekends
- The walk from the gate to the light is short and mostly level
- It sits beside an active Coast Guard station, so respect posted boundaries
Details
New Castle, NH
Learn about Portsmouth Harbor Light at Fort Constitution
The raid before the Revolution
In December 1774, warned by Paul Revere riding up from Boston that the British might seize the powder and reinforce the fort, hundreds of Patriots from Portsmouth and the surrounding towns moved on Fort William and Mary. The small garrison of a handful of soldiers could not hold them off. Over two days the colonists overran the fort, hauled down the King's colors, and carried away barrels of gunpowder along with muskets and cannon.
It was one of the first overt acts of armed defiance against the Crown, months before the shots at Lexington and Concord. The powder taken here is often said to have made its way to the American lines, and the episode is remembered as one of the opening moves of the Revolution in New Hampshire. After independence the fort was rebuilt and renamed Fort Constitution.
A light at the harbor mouth
The Piscataqua is a demanding river, with one of the strongest tidal currents on the coast, and Portsmouth has long been a vital deep-water port. A lighthouse was first raised at this point in 1771, one of the earliest in the colonies, to guide vessels safely past the ledges into the harbor.
The tower that stands today is a cast-iron lighthouse dating to 1878, painted white and rising beside the fort. Its light still marks the entrance to the harbor. Because it stands on active Coast Guard land, visitors reach it on foot through the fort grounds, and the tower opens to the public on scheduled days run by the local lighthouse society.
New Castle and the working harbor
The lighthouse sits at the edge of New Castle, the smallest town in New Hampshire, an island of narrow colonial streets and close-set old houses that feels centuries removed from the mainland. A drive or walk through the village is part of the pleasure of coming here.
The harbor itself is very much alive. From the point you can watch tugs, tankers, fishing boats, and, from time to time, submarines from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard just upriver, moving through the fast current at the river's mouth. It is a fine place simply to sit and watch the traffic of a real working port.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near New Castle
Portsmouth
About 3 miles, a 10 minute drive
A historic seaport with a lively brick downtown, restaurants, and colonial house museums along the waterfront.
Great Island Common
About 1 mile
A town park on New Castle with lawns, a beach, and wide views of the harbor and lighthouses.
Odiorne Point State Park
About 4 miles, a 12 minute drive
The largest undeveloped stretch of the New Hampshire shore, with tide pools and a hidden World War II fort.