Site Record
Metadata
Site# |
162 |
Site Name |
Bug Light Park |
Description |
Bug Light Park is a 13.8 acre park, located at the eastern end of the Greenbelt Walkway in South Portland, Maine. The park is built on filled land. During World War II, the area was home to a massive shipbuilding operation. Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corporation constructed Ocean ships for Great Britain at the "East Yard" (where Port Harbor Marine is today); South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation built Liberty ships for the U.S. Maritime Commission at the "West Yard" (in the area where the Gulf terminal is today); later in the war, the two yards were combined to become New England Shipbuilding Corporation. In total, the three yards built 274 Liberty and Ocean ships from 1941 to 1945. The entire shipyard area was home to commercial and industrial businesses throughout the post-war years. In 1995, Irving Oil had reportedly purchased 27 acres of waterfront land and presented a plan to create a fuel storage terminal on the site. In 1996, after residents had come forward hoping to turn the land into a park instead, South Portland voters approved a $996,000 bond issue to acquire some of the land; the remaining land was acquired by Portland Pipe Line Corporation, which subsequently leased 5 acres of its parcel to the City of South Portland to be used as part of Bug Light Park. When the City purchased the land on which Portland Breakwater Light (aka Bug Light) sits, the large Building 5 was still on the property. Building 5 was a shipyard-era building that had been used by General Electric. In 1997, after discussions about possible public uses of the building, the City decided to raze it. Construction of the park began in 1998 and extended into 1999. The contractor was A.H. Grover of Cumberland, Maine. Rather than pay to remove the foundation where Building 5 had sat, the site was loamed over. The parking lot near the lighthouse was created in the shape of a Liberty ship, as seen from above. The Liberty Ship Memorial was completed and dedicated on November 10, 2001. The recommissioning (re-lighting) of Bug Light took place in 2002. The Cushing's Point House on Madison Street was donated to the South Portland Historical Society by Portland Pipe Line Corporation in January, 2009; the Society had the building moved into Bug Light Park on February 14, 2009, and opened its Cushing's Point Museum there on July 4, 2009. |
