Maine’s Pemaquid Point Lighthouse was commissioned by President John Quincy Adams in 1827 and was built that same year. Construction did not go well due to the use of salt water in the mortar mix. In less than ten years the structure began to fall apart and was replaced by a second Lighthouse in 1835.

The lighthouse was voted by the state’s residents to be featured on the Maine quarter as part of the 50 State Quarters Program issued by the U.S. Mint. The program began in 1999. Maine’s quarter was the 23rd in the series, issued in 2003.