Cape Neddick Light is the southern most lighthouse in Maine located near the entrance to the York River at the eastern point of Cape Neddick. The light is also known as The Nubble Light since it is built on a "nub" or “nubble” just a short distance from the mainland.  A nubble is defined as a small knob or lump which describes the shape of the small island on which the lighthouse is built.

Lobbying for the lighthouse actually began in 1807 but because of other lighthouse priorities, Congress didn't appropriate money until 1879. A sum of $15,000 was appropriated and the government purchased the island from a group of seven buisness men on February 5, 1879 for $1,500. Six months later the lighthouse was completed and the light was first illuminated on July 1, 1879.  The first keeper was Nathaniel Otterson who served for seventeen and one-half years.

The tower is constructed of two layers of brick and covered on the outside with wrap-around steel plates. The base the tower is thirteen feet in diameter. There is a circular stairway (33 steps) leading up to the first steel platform which was used for storage.  During storms the keepers would often sleep here to be near to the light. The portholes provide ventilation at the platform level. The lens room is reached by climbing an eight step ladder and going through a wooded trap door.  Electrified in 1938, the light today consists of a 1,000 watt quartz-line precision lamp enclosed in a fourth-order Fresnel lens surrounded by a red plexiglass cylinder. It stands 88 feet above the high water mark.  In clear weather the light can be seen for up to 13 nautical miles.

An interesting feature of the tower railing is the vertical posts.  On top of all but one post is a small cast iron lighthouse tower replica.  It is a mystery as to what happened to the one missing lighthouse.

The keepers house is two floors with a total of seven rooms including three bedrooms.  The house has been restored by the town of York to its original condition.  The covered walkway between the keeper's house and the tower was constructed in 1910.

 There are three other buildings currently on the island, the white storage house / workshop, the red fuel/generator house, and the boathouse.  The generator house is the little red brick building that is located on the front lawn. This houses a back-up generator and fuel used during power outages.  It will automatically come on within seconds of a primary power outage.  The boat house sits off by itself on the north end of the island and is used to store the boat used to travel back and forth to the mainland.  Since the boat house is very close to the water it is very susceptible to battering by storms.  The current boat house is built in 1978 to  replace the former one that was washed away during the big Nor'easter in 1978.