The original
Discovering Maine’s
L GHTHOUSES & Harbors A GUIDED TOUR OF MAINE’S LIGHTHOUSES AND HARBORS FROM KITTERY TO CALAIS • South Coast - Casco Bay area • Lower Kennebec - Boothbay area • Midcoast & Penobscot Bay areas • Eggemoggin Reach area • Mount Desert area • Downeast & Bold Coast areas
…AND MORE
SUMMER 2013 3 Produced by Courier Publications, LLC Publisher of The Courier-Gazette, The Camden Herald and The Republican Journal
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Summer 2012
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About this guide W
hat is it about lighthouses that so fascinates people? Is it the romantic idea of the self-reliant keeper and his family marking long days and nights on isolated islands? Is it the altruistic notion of doing a job where countless lives can literally depend on you? In recent years, there has been a resurgence in interest in these earliest of aids to navigation. Ironically, it comes at a time when all lights along the coast remaining in service have been automated with many Portland Head Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO lighthouses and stations being handed over to the care of private organizations. Included in this guide is information on many of Maine’s lighthouses and harbors from the southern coast to the Down East region. We hope you find this guide helpful as you enjoy a part of our maritime heritage and discover some of Maine’s lighthouses and picturesque harbors. Maine has nearly 70 lighthouses and light stations, many accessible from the mainland. Here is a list running geographically from the New Hampshire border, east, to the Canadian border. Isles of Shoals White Island Light Whaleback Island Light Cape Neddick (Nubble) Light Boon Island Light Goat Island Light Wood Island Light Cape Elizabeth Light Two Lights Portland Head Light Ram Island Ledge Light Portland Breakwater (Bug) Light Spring Point Ledge Light Halfway Rock Light Mark Island Monument Sequin Island Light Pond Island Light Perkins Island Light Squirrel Point Light Doubling Point Light Kennebec River Range Lights Goose Rocks Passage Light Hendricks Head Light The Cuckolds Light Ram Island Light Burnt Island Light
Pemaquid Point Light Franklin Island Light Marshall Point Light Tenants Harbor Light Two Bush Island Light Monhegan Island Light Whitehead Light Owls Head Light Rockland Harbor Southwest Light Rockland Breakwater Light Monroe Island Matinicus Rock Light Lowell Rock Light Indian Island Light The Graves Light Curtis Island Light Grindle Point Light Fort Point Light Dice Head Light Pumpkin Island Light Heron Neck Light Green Ledge Light Browns Head Light Goose Rocks Lights Isle au Haut Light Saddleback Ledge Light Eagle Island Light
Mark Island Light Blue Hill Bay Light Burnt Coat Harbor Light Great Duck Island Light Bass Harbor Head Light Baker Island Light Mount Desert Rock Light Bear Island Light Egg Rock Light Winter Harbor Light Prospect Point Light Libby Island Light Machias Seal Island Light Petit Manan Light Narraguagus (Pond) Island Light Prospect Harbor Point Light Emms Rock Light Dog Island Light Whitlocks Mill Light Nash Island Light Moose Peak Light West Quoddy Head Light Lubec Channel Light Avery Rock Light St. Croix Light Little River Light
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Table of Contents Bask in the gleam of the lighthouse museum ................ 6 From harbor to harbor .......... 8 Keepers of the lights ............ 14 South Coast - Casco Bay ..... 16 Lower Kennebec & Boothbay Area ....................... 20 Midcoast Area ........................ 30 Penobscot Bay Area ............. 36 Eggemoggin Reach Area ..... 41 Mount Desert Area ............... 43 Downeast Coast ..................... 47 Bold Coast .............................. 49
Grateful for help
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pecial thanks to Courtney Thompson, author of “Maine Lighthouses — A Pictorial Guide,” for providing so much of the lighthouse material for this booklet. Thompson’s book is no longer in print. It was printed by CatNap Publications. All of the lighthouse maps in this guide have been reprinted with permission from their creator, Wes Shaw of Ripples Graphics & Publishing. We thank him for his help in providing access to electronic copies of his maps. Thank you to Jim Henderson for permission to use information gathered from “Maine: An Encyclopedia,” which is available online at themaineencyclopedia. com. Thank you to Carol Latta of Amazing Maine Photography for use of her images. Latta’s work can be viewed online at amazingmaine.com. We also thank the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Friends of Maine’s Seabird Islands for their contributions to this booklet. And many thanks to Bob Trapani Jr., executive director of the American Lighthouse Foundation, for permission to use his photos and for the pieces he wrote for this guide.
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Keeper’s House at Owls Head Light opens to the public By Bob Trapani, Jr.
D
uring the past four years, many visitors have had the wonderful experience of climbing Owls Head Lighthouse and admiring the panoramic views of West Penobscot Bay that the beacon’s lofty perch affords, but inevitably, a number of people would ask the same question: Can we also go inside the keeper’s house?” Well, in 2013 and beyond, the answer to this popular question is a resounding, “yes!” In early spring, the nonprofit American Lighthouse Foundation moved its headquarters from downtown Rockland to the historic Owls Head Light Station, and established a lighthouse interpretive center inside the dwelling, which opened to the public in April 2013. Not only can visitors now tour the first level of the keeper’s house, they can also learn about Maine’s rich lighthouse heritage and how people just like them are working hard to make sure
Owls Head Light Station – new home for the American Lighthouse Foundation. PHOTO BY BOB TRAPANI, JR. our lighthouses are restored and preserved for future generations. From the history of Owls Head Lighthouse and the duties of the bygone lightkeeper to the heartwarming story of Spot the Dog and the U.S. Coast Guard’s efforts to keep the lights shining today, people of all ages are sure to walk away from this fun-filled
experience having gained more insight into lighthouse traditions. For those who like to take away a memento from their visit to a historic site like Owls Head, the keeper’s house is also home to a gift shop that offers a unique selection of lighthouse and nautical gift items – the proceeds of which all go back into helping
preserve this beloved light station. The American Lighthouse Foundation is a national leader in lighthouse preservation and cares for 21 historic lights throughout New England, including eleven in Maine: Rockland Breakwater, Owls Head, Pemaquid Point, Wood Island, Whaleback, Little River, Cape Elizabeth, Perkins Island, Prospect Harbor, Boon Island and Halfway Rock. The summer hours for the keeper’s house are Wednesday through Sunday 11 am to 4 pm through Columbus Day. Owls Head Lighthouse, which is also cared for by the American Lighthouse Foundation and staffed by volunteers from its local chapter – Friends of Rockland Harbor Lights, is open to climb on Wednesdays 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. For more information, visit: lighthousefoundation.org or call ALF at 207-594-4174.
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Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors
American Lighthouse Foundation
OWLS HEAD LIGHT STATION Interpretive Center & Gift Shop Take a scenic stroll to one of Midcoast Maine’s most popular lighthouses where, from its lofty perch, the beauty of Penobscot Bay sparkles before you!
V
isit the 1854 Keeper’s House, which is now home to the American Lighthouse Foundation’s new Lighthouse Interpretive Center. Don’t forget to stop in the Gift Shop where you will find unique lighthouse and nautical gifts, books, clothing & more!
OWLS HEAD LIGHT 186 LIGHTHOUSE ROAD, OWLS HEAD, ME Follow signs for Owls Head Light State Park!
HOURS: Wednesday-Sunday: 11am-4pm
www.LighthouseFoundation.org (207) 594-4174
Summer 2013
Bask in the gleam of the lights at the Maine Lighthouse Museum By Bob Trapani, Jr.
T
he Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland is a treasure-trove of history that is sure to delight; regardless of how passionate the visitor is about lighthouses. There is not a single person that walks into the Museum’s spacious exhibit hall who does not come away fascinated by the array of lenses and lights that greet them and “illuminate� their experience. For in each gleam, there is an amazing story to learn – accounts of heroism, dedication, storms and family life at Maine’s light stations. Founded by Coast Guard and lighthouse visionary Ken Black, who was affectionately known as “Mr. Lighthouse,� the Maine Lighthouse Museum is home to the largest collection of Fresnel lenses on exhibit in the United States. However, these sparkling gems are not the only alluring aspects of the collections. Visitors are also intrigued by artifacts that have long produced the sounds of sea. From the lighthouse fog horn to the buoy bell, museum patrons learn how mariners
The Maine Lighthouse Museum is home to the nation’s largest collection of Fresnel lenses. PHOTO BY BOB TRAPANI, JR.
were traditionally warned of the navigational dangers around them during times when fog or storm shrouded the light of a lighthouse from sight. Of course, lighthouses and their keepers were inseparable, and so too is their history inside the Maine Lighthouse Museum. Exhibits pay tribute to the valor of the keepers and their families, tell unforgettable stories of isolation and courage and display a number of items used by lighthouse families; from chinaware and brassware to equipment and uniforms. For those who enjoy learning about the lifesaving drama that has played out for over a century and half on shoal-ridden waters, the museum offers opportunities to learn about the heroes of the timehonored United States Life-Saving Service, as well as the efforts of today’s brave guardians of the sea – the United States Coast Guard. The Maine Lighthouse Museum’s summer hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org Memorial Day through Columbus Day. To Penobscot Marine Museum learn more about the Museum, visit maine40 East Main Street, PO Box 498 lighthousemuseum.org Searsport, Maine 04974 or call 207-594-3301.
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Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors
Summer 2013
From harbor to harbor —
Learn about some of Maine’s coastal harbors Southern Coastal Area CAPE ELIZABETH Cape Elizabeth, a town in Cumberland County, was incorporated on Nov. 1, 1765 as a District from a portion of ancient Falmouth, most of which became Portland in 1786. On Aug. 23, 1775 it was incorporated as a town. On March 15, 1895 the town was split, a portion forming South Portland and the remainder retaining the name Cape Elizabeth. The area was first settled by Europeans in the 1630s and shared the difficulties of frontier life and Indian raids as did the surrounding “ancient Falmouth” area. In 1635 John Winter established Maine’s first shipyard on Richmond Island. Currently a wealthy suburb of Portland, the town has a scenic coastline and a series of attractions including Two Lights State Park, Crescent Beach State Park, Fort Williams and Portland Head Light. Just offshore shines Ram Island Ledge Light Station. Harbormaster: Walt Gibson Phone: 207-767-3323 Town Office: 207-799-0881 Online: capeelizabeth.com
KENNEBUNKPORT Kennebunkport is a town in York County, incorporated on July 5, 1653 as the town of Cape Porpoise. After the early white settlers were driven away by Indian raids, the community was reorganized under the name Arundel in 1718 in honor of the Earl of Arundel. In 1821 its name was changed to Kennebunk Port. Nearly a century later, on April 1, 1915, a new town was created from Kennebunk Port to be known as North Kennebunkport. Its name was changed in 1957 to Arundel. Thus, the “new” Arundel occupies a small portion
of the town so named in 1719. Cape Porpoise remains as a coastal village in the town, along with Goose Rocks Beach another seaside settlement. A “summer colony” has long been a part of the town’s character. Harbormaster: Lee McCurdy Phone: 207-967-5040 Town Office: 207-967-4243 Online: kennebunkportme.gov
PORTLAND Portland is Maine’s most populous city, located in Cumberland County, settled in 1632 and incorporated as a town on July 4, 1786 from a portion of Ancient Falmouth. The latter was later dissolved into Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook, and an additional portion of Portland, Stroudwater. On March 26, 1833 Portland became a city. Deering was created as a town from a portion of Westbrook in 1871, then made a city in 1889, only to be absorbed by Portland 10 years later. It has had its share of mishaps: destruction in 1676 during King Phillips War, burned by the British in 1775, and ravaged by fire in 1866. Portland was the site of the 1819 State Constitutional Convention and served as the new State Capital from 1820 until the Augusta facilities were ready in 1827. With its large population, financial and legal services, cultural and historical attractions, and “Old Port” dining and shopping district, the city is the only true metropolitan area in the state. It is the county seat of Cumberland County. Portland Harbor is a working waterfront serving tankers, tourists, and fisheries, along with recreational boating from year-round and summer residents. Ferries connect the mainland to the many Casco Bay islands. Harbormaster: Jeff C. Liick Office: 207-772-8121 Cell: 207-807-7156 Online: portlandharbor.org
West Quoddy Head Light is now part of Quoddy Head State Park and marks the southwest entrance to Quoddy Channel. BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO YORK/CAPE NEDDICK The plantation of Agamenticus (or Acomenticus), now the town of York, was established on March 25, 1636 and incorporated as a city on April 10, 1641. The name is from the Abnaki meaning “small river other side of island.” A Native American returning from the sea would find what is now the York River as the smaller one on the other side of an island from the larger Piscataqua River. Sir Fernando Gorges in 1641 named the capital city of his province Gorgeana. The town of York, was incorporated on Nov. 22, 1652 from a portion of that city and is the second oldest town in Maine. The oldest is Kittery incorporated only two days earlier. The following year the Old York Gaol was established as a prison, now the oldest English public building in the United States. In 1692 it was the site of the Candlemas Ambush by Abenaki Indians in which 100 residents died in the Frenchinspired incident. The battle was a severe blow to the English during what was known as King William’s War, or the first French and Indian War. Long a refuge for summer visitors seeking to enjoy its many
beaches, York sought to protect their health in earlier times, as noted in the 1933 Report of the Health Department. Most of the town’s inhabitants are located between U.S. Route 1 (inland) and U.S. Route 1A, which runs along the coast. Its population has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and grew by nearly 31 percent between 1990 and 2000. Harbormaster: Don H. Day Phone: 207-363-0433 Town Office: 207-363-1000 Online: yorkmaine.org
Midcoast Area BELFAST Belfast is a city in Waldo County and its county seat. It was incorporated as a town on June 29, 1773 and as Maine’s eighth city on April 3, 1852. In 1845 it set off land to form part of Searsport. In an early vote for separation from Massachusetts in 1807, it was only one of three coastal communities (along with Lincolnville and Bath) to vote “YES.” With its location
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• Harbors from page 8 on Penobscot Bay, its shipping and shipbuilding brought a population growth of 1,000 per decade between 1810 and 1850. Its rail line and steamboat service provided critical transportation links. Later the shoe industry emerged with a factory off Main Street. The city’s historic district features an interesting variety of architectural styles, primarily the product of the booming economy of the 19th century. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Belfast was home to the chicken broiler industry and two of Maine’s larger processors: Maplewood and Penobscot Poultry companies. In the early 21st century the city became a site for a large credit card processing company, MBNA (now owned by Bank of America), which once employed more than 1,500 workers in Belfast, and many more in other Maine locations. It provided welcome jobs to a community emerging from the decline of the poultry industry. Harbormaster: Katherine Pickering Phone: 207-338-1142 City Hall:: 207-338-3370 Online: cityofbelfast.org
BOOTHBAY HARBOR Boothbay Harbor is a town in Lincoln County, incorporated on Feb. 16, 1889 from land set off from the town of Boothbay. It is a major attraction for summer visitors with its shops, restaurants, art galleries, marinas and recreational fishing opportunities. Tours to coastal islands, whale watching and a safe and engaging harbor for sailors are some of the attractions for summer visitors. Harbormaster: Nicholas Upham Phone: 207-380-5635 (cell) Town Office: 207-633-3671 Online: boothbayharbor.org
CAMDEN Camden is a town in Knox County, incorporated as the town of Cambden (old spelling) on Feb. 17, 1791 from the former Cambden Plantation. After annexing land from Warren in 1836, it split
Tugboats are a common site in Belfast Harbor. FILE PHOTO in 1891 to form Camden (new spelling) and the new town of Rockport. Camden is located on U.S. Route 1, which dominates Main Street, making it accessible to summer tourists but slow traveling for casual motorists during peak season. The town’s landing and waterfront are picturesque and the model of a coastal town, catering to Windjammer sailing opportunities and countless personal pleasure boats. Several windjammers are on the National Register of Historic Places. Harbormaster: Steven Pixley Phone: 207-236-7969 Town Hall: 207-236-3353 Online: camdenmaine.gov
CUSHING Cushing is a town in Knox County, incorporated on Jan. 30, 1789 from St. Georges Plantation. In 1803 it set off a portion of its land to form the new town of St. George. From 1807 through 1909 Cushing swapped land with Friendship, Thomaston and Warren. The town was named for Thomas Cushing, founder of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, who also was Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (17831788) just prior to the town’s founding. It has become famous as the home of Christina Olson, Andrew Wyeth’s subject in his now classic 1948 painting “Christina’s World.” Cushing is just south of Thomaston, via South Warren and the River Road, and lies on the western shore of the St. George River.
Harbormaster: Austin Donaghy Phone: 914-325-0387 (cell) Town Office: 207-354-2375 Online: cushing.maine.gov
DAMARISCOTTA & NEWCASTLE Damariscotta, a town in Lincoln County, was incorporated on March 15, 1848 from portions of Nobleboro and Bristol. The Indian name for the area was Madamescontee meaning “an abundance of alewives.” Alewives, small, salty fish, spawn in Damariscotta Lake, which extends northwest of the town through Nobleboro, Newcastle, and Jefferson. The actual name Damariscotta is of uncertain origin, being either an alternate pronunciation of the Indian name,
Page 9 or related to an Englishman Humphrey Damerell, or his name in conjunction with that of a local sagamore John Cotta. Long inhabited by Indians, who created massive shell heaps over thousands of years, the area was deeded to John Brown by Samoset in 1625. Early settlers, among them John Brown, Jr., arrived in 1640 from Pemaquid. The settlement was attacked by Indians in 1745. Permanent settlement began at least by 1754 with the construction of the Tilden Hall House, with other houses to follow. The Great Salt Bay, which borders the northwest corner of the town, is the state’s first marine shellfish protected area and one of Maine’s many nature preserves. Formerly polluted by industrial activity, it has been closed to shellfish harvesting for many years. The town became noted for its clipper shipbuilding and brick-making. Now a residential community with summer tourist attractions, it is located just off U.S. Route 1, on Business Route 1, at the head of the Damariscotta River. Newcastle is a town in Lincoln County, incorporated as a District on June 19, 1753 from the former Sheepscot Plantation, and as a town on Aug. 23, 1775. It set off land to New Milford (Alna) in 1795 and annexed land from Jefferson in 1858. Settled in the early 1630s, Newcastle was the first town to be incorporated within the colonial
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In addition to windjammer tours, visitors to Camden harbor can enjoy a ride on a lobster boat. FILE PHOTO
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• Harbors from page 9 territory of Sagadahoc. It was named for the Duke of Newcastle, the King’s primary secretary and a friend of the colonies. Newcastle, located on U.S. Route 1 just west of the Damariscotta River, is home to Maine’s oldest Catholic Church, St. Patrick’s, completed in 1808. Nearby Great Salt Bay is protected by Maine legislation and is the state’s first marine shellfish protected area. Harbormaster: Paul Bryant Phone: 207-563-3398 Damariscotta Town Office: 207-563-5168 Newcastle Town Office: 207-563-3441
FRIENDSHIP Friendship is a town in Knox County, incorporated on Feb. 25, 1807 from Medunkook Plantation. The area was also known as Medumcook, or “bay at the end of the sand bar” by the Indians, probably indicating a fishing place. Settled in 1750, its boat building heritage began soon after and became best known for its specialty — the Friendship Sloop. The town, whose islands extend far out into Muscongus Bay, hosts the Friendship Sloop Races each summer, organized by the Friendship Sloop Society. Franklin Island Light sits at the tip of a series of islands forming the easterly side of Muscongus Bay. Maine Routes 97 and 220 meet in the main village on Friendship Harbor. Harbormaster: Curtis Waite, Jr. Phone: 207-832-0459 Town Office: 207-832-7644
Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors a narrow segment of land, Seven Hundred Acre Island, Job Island, Warren Island and others. The 129-acre forested Warren Island hosts a state park with a dock for visiting boats and some moorings in the relatively secure anchorage. Settled in 1769, Islesboro was part of the Waldo Patent. In 1812 as the British occupied Castine to the east, Islesboro was effectively neutralized. Home to many harbors, coves and seasonal residences, the town is accessible by ferry from Lincolnville three miles to the west. Harbormaster: David Sleeper Phone: 207-734-9738 Town Office: 207-734-2253 Online: townofislesboro.com
LINCOLNVILLE Lincolnville is a town in Waldo County, incorporated on June 23, 1802 from Canaan and Ducktrap Plantations. In an early vote for separation from Massachusetts in 1807, it was only one of three coastal communities (along with Bath and Belfast) to vote “YES.” The community was named for Enoch Lincoln, a Revolutionary War General, Maine Governor and early proprietor in the area. Located on U.S. Route 1 and Penobscot Bay, Lincolnville is the Maine State Ferry Service mainland terminal for the ferry to Islesboro three miles out in the middle of the Bay. A sand beach and the long-standing Lobster Pound restaurant are near at hand.
Harbormaster: Michael Hutchings Town Office: 207-763-3555 Online: town.lincolnville.me.us
NORTH HAVEN North Haven is an island town in Knox County, incorporated on March 1, 1847 as the town of Fox Isle from a portion of Vinalhaven. Its name was changed to North Haven on July 13 of the same year. Located in Penobscot Bay, it is accessible via the State Ferry Service from Rockland, with connections to Vinalhaven. The Thorofare separates North Haven from Vinalhaven. Both communities have numerous well-protected harbors. The “Turner Farm Site” is an archaeological treasure of artifacts from early Maine prehistory. The Vinalhaven-North Haven Archipelago preserve features six islands (Big Garden, Big White, Sheep, Smith, Brimstone and Little Brimstone) that orbit the larger islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven in Penobscot Bay. Supporting an impressive array of birds, most of the islands, with the exception of Brimstone, are without trails though are nice location for picnics and walks along the beach. Fox Island Thorofare Harbormaster: Foy Brown Pulpit Harbor Harbormaster: Adam Campbell Town Office: 207-867-4433 Online: northhavenmaine.org
ISLESBORO Islesboro is a Penobscot Bay island town in Waldo County, incorporated on Jan. 28, 1789 from Long Island Plantation. The early native name for the main island was Pitaubegwimenahanuk, or “the island that lies between two channels.” In fact, the island is the marker for dividing East Penobscot Bay from West Penobscot Bay. It includes North and South Islesboro connected by
Rockport Harbor was once the home of Andre the seal. There is a statue of Andre in the park at the waterfront. CAROL LATTA/AMAZING MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY
Summer 2013 NORTHPORT Northport is a town in Waldo County, settled in 1780 and incorporated on Feb. 13, 1796 from Ducktrap Plantation. In addition to its long coastline facing Islesboro on Penobscot Bay, the town has frontage on the three-mile long Pitcher Pond and all of Knight Pond. The historic Bayside village, a community primarily of summer cottages, lies off U.S. Route 1 near East Northport, just south of Belfast. Harbormaster: Lora Mills Phone: 207-338-1195 (home); 207-323-1962 (cell) Town Office: 207-338-3819 Online: northportmaine.org
OWLS HEAD Owls Head is a town in Knox County, incorporated on July 9, 1921 from a portion of South Thomaston. The cape that it occupies was called Bedabedec Point, meaning “cape of waters.” Owls Head Light marks the southern entrance to Rockland Harbor. Owls Head State Park offers views of Penobscot Bay. The Owls Head Transportation Museum contains vintage aircraft frequently flown over the bay. Harbormaster: Jeffrey Labrozzi Town Office: 207-594-7434 Online: owlshead.maine.gov
ROCKLAND Rockland is a city in, and the county seat of, Knox County. It was incorporated as the town of East Thomaston from a portion of Thomaston on July 28, 1848, changed its name in 1850, and became a city in 1854. Rockland swapped some land with Thomaston in 1849 and 1852 and has kept its boundaries intact ever since. Settled in 1769, the community still maintains the working waterfront characteristic of its glory days as a major fishing port. The world’s fastest clipper ship, Red Jacket, was built here; Edna St. Vincent Millay was born here, and the Farnsworth Art Museum makes its home here. Lobster is still king in Rockland. The city is home to the Maine Lobster Festival. Harbormaster: Ed Glaser Phone: 207-594-0312 Town Office: 207-594-0300 Online: ci.rockland.me.us
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• Harbors from page 10 ROCKPORT Rockport is a town in Knox County, originally a part of Camden until those two split on Feb. 25, 1891 and the name Rockport was adopted. Later that same year, and again in 1893, it annexed land from Camden. Lime production was once a major industry and in 1817 300 casks of lime were shipped to Washington for use in building the Capitol, which had been damaged by the British in the War of 1812. Rockport village lies off U.S. Route 1 and boasts its own attractive harbor near Camden. The harbor was once the home of Andre the seal, a local attraction and mascot of the community and summer visitors. Harbormaster: Abbie Leonard Town Office: 207-236-9648 Online: town.rockport.me.us
SEARSPORT Searsport is a town in Waldo County, settled in the 1670s and incorporated on Feb. 13, 1845 from portions of Prospect and Belfast. David Sears of Boston, after whom the town is named, was one of 10 who bought land in the area held by the heirs of Gen. Samuel Waldo. In 1847, when fire destroyed the Province House in Boston, Gen. Waldo advocated, unsuccessfully, that the capital of Massachusetts be moved to Searsport. During the 19th century the port had 17 shipyards and built 200 ships, while supplying fully one-tenth of the nation’s Merchant Marine deep water captains. The Penobscot Marine Museum in town faithfully recalls that heritage. Sears Island, known as Wassumkeag or shining beach by the Indians, has been a point of controversy for many years. The state’s second largest deep water port is ideally located from the point of view of railroad, wood products and other development interests. Others have expressed environmental and esthetic concerns about further industrializing this portion of the coast. Harbormaster: Wayne Hamilton Phone: 207-548-0035 Town Office: 207-548-6372 Online: searsport.maine.gov
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Port Clyde is a village in the town of St. George. CAROL LATTA/AMAZING MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY
ST. GEORGE St. George is a town in Knox County, incorporated on Feb. 7, 1803 from a portion of Cushing. In 1865 it ceded some land to South Thomaston. The town may be better known by some by its villages of Port Clyde, at the southern tip of its long peninsula, and Tenants Harbor. Port Clyde has long been an attraction to artists and tourists, who can take the ferry to Monhegan Island, visible in the distance. Bounded by the St. George River on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east, it offers many protected coves to recreational and commercial vessels. The Brothers and Hay Ledge nature preserve occupies four islands off Port Clyde and provide a 12-acre home to a number of nesting sea birds such as the black guillemot, common eider, double-crested cormorants and various gulls. Route 131 from Thomaston runs along the eastern portion of the town. Harbormaster: Dave Schmanska Town Office: 207-372-6363 Online: stgeorgemaine.com
STOCKTON SPRINGS Stockton Springs is a town in Waldo County, incorporated on March 13, 1857 as Stockton from a portion of Prospect. Originally named for an English seaport, the name was changed to Stockton Springs on Feb. 5, 1889 in hopes of capitalizing on the bottling of local spring water. However, when sediment was discovered in the bottles, the plan was shelved. Fort Point is a peninsula on Cape Jellison just north of Sears Island, that extends almost to the center
of Penobscot Bay at its northerly reaches. Gov. Pownall built Fort Pownall there in 1759. The British burned their fort in 1775 and 1779 to prevent it from falling into enemy (American patriot) hands. The town lies at the junction of Routes 1 (east to Bucksport) and 1A (north to Bangor). Harbormaster: Les Bryant Phone: 207-567-3404 (office); 207-323-4594 (cell) Town Office: 207-567-3404 Online: stocktonsprings.org
Thomaston is a town in Knox County, incorporated on March 20, 1777 from St. Georges Plantation. It annexed land from Warren (1798, 1864), Rockland (1852), and Cushing (1891, 1909). It ceded land to East Thomaston and South Thomaston in 1848 and 1849. Located along the St. George River, a trading post was established in 1630 and continued despite the Indian raids of that century. Settled in 1783, substantial development began after the American Revolution. Ship building and shipping were the basis of its fortune and that of the two millionaires (of seven in the whole country) who lived there in 1840. Just southwest of Rockland, the community lies at the point where the St. George River broadens into a long, narrow bay. Harbormaster: Gordon Mank Jr. Phone: 207-975-6553 Town Office: 207-354-6107 Online: town.thomaston.me.us
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• Harbors from page 11 VINALHAVEN Vinalhaven is an island town in Knox County, incorporated on June 25, 1789 from portions of North and South Fox Islands. Settled in 1765 by the Carvers of Massachusetts, Vinalhaven became a major granite quarrying center, supplying the stone for New York’s Church of St. John the Divine and the Brooklyn Bridge. The island town is home to two nature preserves, both managed by the Nature Conservancy. Lane’s Island Preserve consists of rolling moors that run down to meet the sea on a 43-acre island joined to Vinalhaven by a stone causeway. Rough trails lead to beaches and bold shoreline, where the surf is spectacular on a stormy day. The VinalhavenNorth Haven Archipelago preserve features six islands (Big Garden, Big White, Sheep, Smith, Brimstone and Little Brimstone) that orbit the larger islands of Vinalhaven and North Haven in Penobscot Bay. Supporting an impressive array of birds, most of the islands, with the exception of Brimstone, are without trails though are nice location for picnics and walks along the beach. The State Ferry Service provides transportation to and from Rockland daily. Harbormaster: James Harris Phone: 207-867-4981 Town Office: 207-863-4471 Online: townofvinalhaven.org
WISCASSET Wiscasset is a town in Lincoln County, incorporated on Feb. 13, 1760 as the town of Pownalborough from the former Frankfort Plantation. When the town was established, the Pownalborough Courthouse was built to serve the area. The 15th town chartered in Maine, it was named for Gov. Thomas Pownall. The name was changed to its Indian designation, Wiscasset, on June 10, 1802. The Lincoln County Courthouse, completed in 1824, is the oldest in continuous use and its records are well preserved. Daniel Webster once haunted its chambers. Governor and judge Samuel E.
Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors
Summer 2013
Smith lived in the community and practiced law here beginning in 1812. The town was once best known for it’s Maine Yankee Atomic Power plant, which generated much energy and controversy and is no longer in operation. Harbormaster: Daniel Bradford Phone: 207-380-1922 (cell) Town Office: 207-882-8200 Online: wiscasset.org
Downeast Area BAR HARBOR Bar Harbor is a town in Hancock County, incorporated on Feb. 23, 1796 under the name Eden from land set off from the town of Mount Desert on Mount Desert Island. After more than 120 years, its name was changed to Bar Harbor on March 5, 1918. After Newport, R.I., Bar Harbor was the resort of choice for wealthy eastern Americans until the great fire of 1947 destroyed many homes and forested areas. Acadia National Park dominates tourists itineraries when the population of the town and the island swells each summer. Harbormaster: Charles Phippen Phone: 207-288-5571 (office); 207-266-2110 (cell) Town Office: 207-288-4098 Online: barharbormaine.gov
CALAIS Calais is a city in Washington County, incorporated on June 16, 1809 as a town from Plantation Number 5 PS. On Nov. 18, 1850 it was restructured as a city. Calais has traditionally had warm relations with its sister community, St. Stephen, on the Canadian side of the St. Croix River border. The first settlers arrived about 1770, engaging in farming, hunting, and later shipbuilding. Its name derives from the French port by the same name, in honor of the support given by that nation during the American Revolution. City Hall: 207-454-2521 Online: calaismaine.org
JONESBORO Jonesboro is a town in Washington County, incorporated
Northeast Harbor is a village in the town of Mount Desert. CAROL LATTA/AMAZING MAINE PHOTOGRAPHY on March 4, 1809. This large tract of land was diminished by ceding land to Jones’ Port in 1832, to Columbia and Machias in 1838, and finally to Roque Bluffs in 1891. On the Chandler River, which empties into Englishman Bay, the village is on U.S. Route 1 where is splits to create Route 1A as both reunite at Machias to the northeast. Town Office: 207-434-5141
JONESPORT Jonesport is a town in Washington County, incorporated on Feb. 3, 1832 from a portion of Jonesborough (Jonesboro). On April 7, 1925 it set off land to form the town of Beals. The main village is located on Moosabec Reach and the Indian River. A bridge across the Reach leads to the island community of Beals. Maine Route 187 loops down from U.S. Route 1 to West Jonesport, the to Jonesport and back to U.S. Route 1 just west of Jonesboro. Local residents work in blueberry, fishing and boat building industries, and in tourist services during the summer. Town Office: 207-497-5926 Online: jonesport.com
MACHIAS Machias is a town in Washington County, incorporated on June 23, 1784 but divided into three towns on June 26, 1826: West Machias, East Machias, and
Machias Port. The Indian term machias has been taken to mean a little run of bad water or bad little falls. The Washington County seat, it is located on the Machias River, the engine moving its earlier lumbering and shipbuilding industries. Once a haven for pirates, and now a commercial center, it is also home to the University of Maine at Machias, formerly Washington State College. Harbormaster: Christopher Loughlin Town Office: 207-255-6621
MACHIASPORT The town lies primarily on the west side of Machias Bay as the Machias River enters the Bay. It offers many sheltered harbors including the well known Bucks Harbor. The community is just east of Machias on Maine Route 92. Harbormaster: Phil Rose Town Office: 207-255-4516
MOUNT DESERT Mount Desert is a town in Hancock County settled in 1761 and incorporated on Feb. 17, 1789 from Mount Desert Plantation. It set off land to form several towns: Eden, now Bar Harbor, (1796); Cranberry Isles (1830); and Manset (1848). The town is located on Mount Desert Island, between Bar
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• Harbors from page 12 Harbor and Tremont. In 1839 the town of Seaville was formed from Mount Desert, existing separately until annexed back into its parent in 1859. Pemetic, Penobscot and Sargent mountains are poised on its southeastern portion. The communities of Northeast Harbor (the largest), Seal Harbor and Somesville constitute the major villages in the town. Somes Sound, most of which is within the town of Mount Desert, is not a true fjord, as once thought, but is very much like one, having been gouged out by glaciers. The sound is a fivemile long embayment bordered by Norumbega Mountain (852 feet) to the east, and Acadia (681 feet) and St. Sauveur Mountains (249 feet) to the west. At its deepest point, the sound is slighter deeper than 130 feet, and in several places it is about 100 feet deep. Harbormaster: Shawn Murphy Phone: 207-276-5737 Town Office: 207-276-5531 Online: mtdesert.org
SOUTHWEST HARBOR Southwest Harbor is a town in Hancock County, settled in 1761 and incorporated on Feb. 21, 1905 from a portion of Tremont. It lies on the southwest entrance to Somes Sound, diagonally across from Northeast Harbor, a village in the town of Mount Desert.
Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors Southwest Harbor has been both a fishing and summer resort community from its earliest days as a town. Harbormaster: Adam Thurston Phone: 207-244-7913 Town Office: 207-244-5404 Online: southwestharbor.org
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TREMONT Tremont is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, settled in 1762 and incorporated on June 3, 1848 under the name of Mansel. The name was change to Tremont (from the French for three mountains) a few months later on Aug. 8. It annexed part of Seaville in 1859 when that town dissolved, the balance going to the town of Mount Desert. Tremont ceded land to Southwest Harbor in 1905. Bass Harbor is the terminal for the Swan’s Island ferry and the Frenchboro ferry. The harbor itself is somewhat protected by nearby islands, but its southwestern exposure makes it less desirable than Northeast and Southwest harbors around Bass Harbor Head to the east. Tremont’s cove-rich shoreline abuts Blue Hill Bay, which includes the town’s Tinker and Hardwood islands, among others. Harbormaster: Jon Crossman Phone: 207-460-7935 Town Office: 207-244-7204 Online: tremont.maine.gov Historical town information published with permission from “Maine: An Encyclopedia” by Jim Henderson. •
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U.S. Coast Guard – Keepers of the Flame By Bob Trapani, Jr.
L
U.S. Coast Guard EM1 Steven Horner replaces a 1000-watt lamp in the fourth order Fresnel lens at Owls Head Lighthouse. PHOTO BY BOB TRAPANI, JR.
ighthouses may no longer be staffed by keepers who reside on site, but that doesn’t mean in this day and age of automation that the lights don’t have keepers. Indeed they do – and the men and women of the United States Coast Guard who keep the lights here in the 21st century do so with the same passion and dedication to protecting the mariner as the old time “wickies” that came before them. Today in Maine, fifty–two lighthouses, from Kittery to Lubec, remain active aids to navigation – “winking & blinking” faithfully every night across dark coastal waters fraught with hazardous ledges and shoals. So what kind of work do modern Coast Guard keepers of the lights carry out? Well, instead of trimming the wicks, winding the clockworks and firing up the fog horn like traditional keepers, USCG aids to navigation technicians replenish lamps in automatic lampchangers, keep batteries filled with water and make sure fog horns and fog detectors function properly. Though the tasks of keeping the lights are markedly different than the days of the bygone lighthouse keeper, one constant
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remains – a commitment to making sure Maine’s light stations are “watching properly” and that the mariner can rely on seeing a good light to help safeguard his transit along the coast. For all of the change that has occurred over the past century and a half at Maine’s lighthouses, there is one connection that both the keepers of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and today’s Coast Guard have in common – the Fresnel lens. Originally installed in many Maine lighthouses during the mid-to-late 1800s, the Fresnel lens continues to be a timeless work of art that has no parallel in terms of producing a brilliant light – not to mention its breathtaking beauty. Today, eight Fresnel lenses remain active in Maine lighthouses at Bass Harbor Head, Browns Head, Cape Neddick, Fort Point, Pemaquid Point, Owls Head, Seguin Island and West Quoddy Head. So when people visit a Maine lighthouse and see its light shining bright each night, and its horn sounding during periods of foggy or thick weather, you can thank the United States Coast Guard – today’s keepers of the lights, for their dedication and service to this timehonored tradition.
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Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors
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South Coast - Casco Bay
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
Boon Island Light
Boon Island Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Standing on a small, rocky, barren island about 6.5 miles southeast of Cape Neddick, this light is clearly one of the most isolated lighthouses. Severe storms, typical of this area, have swept away numerous light towers on this ledge. The first 50-foot wooden tower was established in 1800 but the flimsy wooden structure was destroyed by a winter storm in 1804; it was replaced with a stone tower the following summer. President James Madison authorized a new lighthouse in 1812 but storms again destroyed the light in 1831. Finally, the Lighthouse Board allowed that a much more sound, substantial structure was required. In 1852 the present light tower was constructed and, at 133 feet, is the tallest in New England, measuring 25 feet in diameter at the base, 12 feet wide at the top. Tales and legends involving the island are numerous but the most well-known incident was the wreck of the British ship Nottingham Galley in December 1710. Survivors struggled to stay alive for three weeks, finally resorting
to cannibalism. It’s said that after this disaster local fishermen began leaving barrels of provisions (a “boon”) in case of future wrecks. Legends also tell of a keeper’s wife driven mad after her husband’s death on the island, of a keeper who left the island for food, later found wandering aimlessly hundreds of miles away and of marooned keepers saved by a the crew of a passing schooner who retrieved their plea for help set adrift in a bottle. This island is continually pounded by the sea; the Blizzard of 1978 destroyed the keeper’s house and outbuildings as five feet of water inundated the station. During that storm granite boulders were tossed about as if they were pebbles. The two keepers, having taken refuge in the tower, were rescued by helicopter the following day. Shortly after this storm Boon Island Light was automated; the second-order Fresnel lens was removed in 1993 and replaced by a modern solar-powered optic. Boon Island Light is now licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation.
Summer 2013 Directions: From I-95 or Route 1 in York, take Route 1A to York Beach, continuing to Nubble Road (marked with a small “Nubble Light” sign). Follow this road to Sohier Park and the parking area. The light is visible in the distance.
Cape Neddick (Nubble) Light A lighthouse on the small, rocky island (the nubble) off the eastern point of Cape Neddick, had been recommended by local mariners since 1807, but it wasn’t until 70 years later that the lighthouse was established. The 41-foot cast-iron tower was authorized by President Rutherford B. Hayes and first illuminated in July 1879. Although initially painted chocolate brown, the tower has been white since 1902. The distinctive red oil house was built in 1902 and the walkway connecting the keeper’s house and tower added in 1911. The station originally had a fog bell and bell tower; this structure was razed in 1961. An 1891 fourth-order lens, although not the original, still is in use. A bucket suspended on a line across the channel was used to transport supplies to the station; the conveyance is similarly used today for maintenance equipment. Unique to this light tower are the miniature cast-iron lighthouses atop the posts on the railing surrounding the lantern room. Also distinguishing Cape Neddick Light was a past feline resident who, at 19 pounds, reportedly attracted as many interested tourists as did the lighthouse itself. The cat allegedly was the best mouser in Maine, regularly swimming the channel to visit briefly with mainland friends, then returning to the lighthouse to deal with the mice. Cape Neddick Light was automated in 1987. In 1989 a second story window was
Cape Neddick Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors replaced with two smaller windows to restore the original appearance of the house. The lighthouse is now owned by the town of York and managed by The Friends of Nubble Light. Directions: From I-95 or Route 1 in York, take Route 1A to York Beach, continuing to Nubble Road (marked with a small “Nubble Light” sign). Follow this road to Sohier Park and the parking area.
Whaleback Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Whaleback Light Whaleback Light is Maine’s most southern light near Kittery and marks the entrance to the Piscataqua River. A lighthouse was first established at this waveswept location in 1830. The present granite tower was constructed in 1872 and stands 50-feet tall. The lighthouse was automated in 1963 and is now owned by the American Lighthouse Foundation and cared for by its local chapter, Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse. The lighthouse is best viewed by boat or from shore at Fort Foster in Kittery.
Page 17 The Coast Guard planned to automate the light in 1976 but the towns of Biddeford and Kennebunkport successfully petitioned for a keeper on the island to prevent vandalism. Notable for being Maine’s last manned light station, Goat Island became the final Maine lighthouse to be automated in 1990. At that time, the Fresnel lens also was replaced. The station was used as a security post when former President George Bush was in residence at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport. Since 1992, Goat Island has been owned by the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust. The lighthouse can be seen from the wharf in Cape Porpoise. Directions: From I-95 take the Kennebunkport exit, follow Route 35 into Kennebunk. Take Route 9A south to Kennebunkport (or from Route 1 take Route 9A also). Route 9A becomes Route 9; continue through Kennebunkport to Cape Porpoise Center. Where Route 9 makes a 90-degree turn left, instead bear right onto Pier Road which ends at the wharf. The light is offshore to the southeast. Better photographs are possible from a tour boat out of Kennebunkport.
Goat Island Light
Wood Island Light
Established in 1833 to guide mariners into the sheltered harbor at Cape Porpoise, the lighthouse is located at the southwest end of Goat Island. In 1859 the 20-foot stone tower and keeper’s house were rebuilt and a fifth-order Fresnel lens installed. The present 25-foot brick structure was built sometime between 1880-1890 and connected to the one-and-a-half-story house by covered walkway. A boathouse was added in 1905 and oil house in 1907.
Wood Island Light
BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Just off the village of Biddeford Pool, this light marks the entrance to the Saco River. The light, built in 1808 and rebuilt in 1858 on the east end of Wood Island, was automated in 1986. The U.S. Coast Guard repaired and partially restored the tower and keeper’s house. Since 1976, most of the 36-acre island has been managed by the Maine Audubon
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Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse Trust. Occasional open houses are held in the summer.
Society; eight acres and buildings belong to the station. The light can be seen in the distance from shore but is best photographed by boat. Wood Island Light is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation and cared for by its local chapter, Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse, who open the light tower and keeper’s house at various times during the season. Directions: From Route 9 between Cape Porpoise (Kennebunkport) and Biddeford, turn south onto Route 208. Or, from Route 1, take Route 111 into Biddeford toward Biddeford Pool. Turn south onto Route 208. Bear left at a “T” intersection, continuing on Route 208 through Biddeford Pool. Pass the firestation and continue about 0.5 mile — the road makes a right angle to follow the shoreline. Just before that turn there is a gate and a path along side it to a well-marked footpath. The walk to the shoreline is along the Audubon Trail, next to the golf course with the lighthouse visible shortly ahead across the inlet.
Cape Elizabeth Light The site of two lighthouses, the remaining active lighthouse was automated in 1963 and the 1,800-pound Fresnel lens removed in 1994. Visible for 27 nautical miles, the active, functioning east tower is the most powerful on the New England coast at four million candle power. The 1878 Victorian keeper’s house is now privately owned. The tower is now under the care of the American Lighthouse Foundation. The assistant keeper’s house was incorporated into a new home. Cape Elizabeth Light was the subject of two Edward Hopper paintings, one of which was reproduced on a 1970 issue postage stamp commemorating Maine’s 150th anniversary. Directions: From Portland/South Portland, take Route 77 to Cape Elizabeth. Continue about four miles, then bear left onto Two Lights Road (Two Lights State Park is to the right). Follow Two Lights Road about 1.75 miles to the end where the public may view and photograph the active lighthouse
Summer 2013
Directions: From Route 77 in Portland, turn east onto Broadway and continue to Pickett Street. Turn right onto Pickett and follow it to the end. Turn left onto Fort Road which ends at Fort Preble (now Southern Maine Community College) and a parking area. The light and breakwater are immediately ahead just to the right.
Portland Head Light Spring Point Ledge Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
from a small park and rocky beach area. The inactive tower is to the left shortly after turning onto Two Lights Terrace.
Spring Point Ledge Light This lighthouse marks the dangerous ledge on the west side of the main shipping channel into Portland Harbor. Many vessels ran aground here before a group of steamship companies convinced the government to locate a lighthouse on the ledge in 1891. However, Congress failed to allocate funds until 1896 when construction began. Setbacks in construction, including storms and disputes about materials, delayed completion until May 1897. Built on a cylindrical cast-iron caisson, the lighthouse is a typical “sparkplug” style of the period, but unlike many such structures, the tower is constructed of brick rather than cast iron. The lighthouse includes four levels, including a keeper’s office, watchroom and two levels for living quarters. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed and a fog bell hung on the side of the tower. The light was electrified and automated in 1934; in 1951 the 900-foot breakwater was constructed, joining the lighthouse with the mainland. The lighthouse is easily accessible; the Spring Point Museum is located in the adjacent Southern Maine Technical College campus. Excursion boats from Portland pass near this light. The lighthouse is now owned by the
The patriarch of Maine’s lighthouses marks the state’s busiest harbor, boasting a combination of historic significance and beauty which make it possibly the most visited, photographed and painted lighthouse in the United States. The setting particularly inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who found the tranquil beauty of the lighthouse well suited to writing poetry. Maine was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 18th century and Portland(known as Falmouth until 1786), had become one of the busiest ports in America by the late 1700s. There were no lighthouses in Maine when, in 1784, merchants petitioned the Massachusetts government for a light to mark the entrance to Portland Harbor. John Hancock was then governor of the Bay Colony and authorized construction. Delayed by insufficient funds, construction didn’t begin until 1790 with the original plan for a 58-foot tower revised to 72 feet. President George Washington appointed the first keeper, Capt. Joseph Greenleaf. Repairs were made to the station in 1810, with an outdoor oil shed added. In 1813 a new lantern and system of lamps and reflectors designed by Winslow Lewis was installed; a new keeper’s house was built in 1816. A fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps and reflectors in 1855 and a bell tower was added at that time. The lighthouse is now owned by the town of Cape Elizabeth. The lighthouse is located on the grounds of Fort Williams State Park, which is open from sunrise to sunset daily. There is a museum and gift shop at the lighthouse.
Summer 2013 Directions: From I-95, 295 or Route 1, take Route 77 to Cape Elizabeth (clearly marked). Turn east onto Shore Road and follow that road to Fort Williams State Park (several “Portland Head Light” signs direct you). The light also can be photographed from a tour boat out of Portland.
Discovering Maine’s Lighthouses and Harbors the breakwater progressively shortened until the lighthouse stood only 100 feet from shore, making it obsolete. The light was extinguished in 1942, declared surplus property soon after, and sold to private ownership. The property was later donated to the city of Portland. In 1989, after long standing unattended, repair and restoration were accomplished with money from federal, state and local organizations. Directions: Take Route 77 from South Portland to Broadway. Turn east on Broadway and continue to Pickett Street. Turn left onto Pickett Street; follow that road around the warehouses then bear left to the parking area for the South Portland Public Landing. Entrance is free to view the light. To the right is a walkway to the light. Tour boats from Portland also offer good views.
Ram Island Ledge Light Portland Breakwater (Bug) Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Portland Breakwater (Bug) Light A 2,500-foot breakwater and lighthouse on the south side of the entrance to Portland Harbor were planned after a storm in November 1831 severely damaged the area. Although construction began in 1836, lack of funds caused delay but in 1855 a small octagonal wooden tower with a sixth-order Fresnel lens was in operation. In the early 1870s the breakwater was extended approximately 200 feet and a new lighthouse built at the end. Known locally as “Bug Light,” the new lighthouse included Greek architectural elements. The design of the cast-iron tower is unique: petite, with Corinthian columns created to resemble a 4th century (B.C.) Greek monument. A wooden keeper’s house was built adjacent to the lighthouse in 1889. In 1934 the light was electrified, the keeper’s house removed and the light tended by the keeper at Spring Point Ledge Light. As shipyards expanded into the harbor to accommodate World War II shipbuilding,
Page 19 follow that route through Portland, past the harbor to South Portland, then into Cape Elizabeth. Turn left at the “Portland Head Light” sign onto Shore Road; continue to Fort Williams State Park and Portland Head Light. Some harbor cruises offer distant views. A custom charter is the only way to get close photographs.
Halfway Rock Light Named because it is halfway between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Small, this barren three-acre ledge is located about 11 miles northeast of Portland in a busy shipping lane. Construction of the light began in 1870 but bad weather and funding glitches prevented completion until 1871. The station suffered substantial damage in the storms of 1962 and 1972. The latter storm washed away the outbuildings and equipment and required helicopter evacuation of the crew. Only the light tower, entryway and helicopter pad remain. The light must be photographed from the air or by boat. The lighthouse is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation.•
This light sits on jagged rocks at the north side of the entrance to Portland Harbor. At high tide the ledges are entirely covered and were the cause of many Br eak shipwrecks until a fas lighthouse was built t In clu there in 1905. de d Gray, granite blocks used to construct the tower were cut from quarries on Vinalhaven and give the lighthouse the appearance of being Only 20 minutes to the Casco Bay much older than it is. Lighthouses and centrally located for all The light your coastal destinations. was converted from kerosene to Walk to LL Bean, outlets electricity in 1958 & lobster restaurants and automated in 1959. This light can be seen offshore from BED AND BREAKFAST Fort Williams Park in Cape Elizabeth. 178 Main St., Freeport, ME 04032 207-865-9099 or 800-853-1269 Directions: From www.whitecedarinn.com Route 1 in Portland, NON-SMOKING, WIFI, A/C, PRIVATE BATHS, take Route 77 and OFF STREET PARKING, OPEN YEAR ’ROUND
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Lower Kennebec & Boothbay Area
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
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Seguin Island Light Maine’s second lighthouse was built in 1795 by order of President George Washington. Located at the mouth of the heavily travelled Kennebec River, two and one-half miles from Popham Beach, this light is the highest above water on the Maine coast. Although the tower at Seguin is not the tallest structure on the coast, the light is the highest due to its location on the island. At 186 feet above sea level, the light is visible from a distance of 40 miles in clear weather. The original wooden tower was replaced by a stone structure in 1819 which was then rebuilt in 1857. The present 53-foot granite light tower was necessary to accommodate the installation of Maine’s only first-order Fresnel lens. A duplex keeper’s house also was added in 1857. In order to transport supplies up the steep quarter-mile climb to the lighthouse, a tramway system was installed with tracks from the boathouse to the keeper’s dwelling. Because of heavy fog often in this area, Seguin has one of the most powerful foghorns made. The light was automated in 1985; a group of concerned local citizens founded the Friends of Seguin Island in 1986. Although the Coast Guard maintains the light itself, the island and keeper’s quarters are owned by the nonprofit group. By 1990 public contributions, grants from the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, National Park Service and matching fund programs made possible restoration of the keeper’s quarters to accommodate summertime caretakers. In August 1993 the Friends of Seguin opened a small museum in the lower two rooms on the north side of the keeper’s house. Restoration, repair and maintenance of the grounds and buildings are ongoing efforts by this group. Seguin Light can be seen in the distance from the Popham Beach area and Maine Maritime Museum in Bath offers trips to the island during the summer. There is no dock or pier landing. Passengers are offloaded into a skiff and taken to the beach; the climb to the lighthouse is fairly steep up a narrow path. Weather and sea conditions are extremely variable in this area and may preclude landing.
Pond Island Light PHOTO COURTESY MAINE COASTAL ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE/ FRIENDS OF MAINE’S SEABIRD ISLANDS
Directions: From U.S. Route 1 in Bath, take Route 209 to Popham Beach. Both Seguin Island and the nearer Pond Island light are visible in the distance.
Pond Island Light Rocky, 10-acre Pond Island at the mouth of the Kennebec River, off Popham Beach, has no pond; the origin of the name is unknown. Soldiers were quartered on the island during the War of 1812 to prevent the British from entering the Kennebec and the island was a transfer point for steamer passengers in the 1820s. The first stone lighthouse was built on the island in 1821, marking the east side entrance to the Kennebec River, about two miles northwest of Seguin Island. This structure lasted until 1855 when the present 20-foot brick tower was constructed and fitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens. Pond Island Light was automated in 1963 and all buildings except the lighthouse tower were destroyed by the Coast Guard. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now manages the island as a bird refuge. Pond Island was acquired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973. It has a functioning station that is owned and operated by the US Coast Guard and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The light may be viewed distantly from the Popham Beach area. Directions: From Route 1 in Bath, take Route 209 to Popham Beach.
Perkins Island Light In 1898 this 23-foot octagonal wooden tower was erected on seven-acre Perkins Island on the eastern side of the Kennebec River. A two-story keeper’s house was built at the same time; the station is similar to the Doubling Point and Squirrel Point lights. The boathouse, bell tower and oil house were added in the early 1900s. The lighthouse originally had a fifth-order Fresnel lens. Following automation in 1959, this lens was removed and a 250mm optic added; the fog bell also was removed. The property was turned over to the town of Georgetown in 1973 but little has been done to improve or maintain the grounds; the keeper’s house and outbuildings are owned by the State of Maine and are in disrepair. The light may be seen across the river from the village of Parker Head. Cruises from Maine Maritime Museum and Boothbay Harbor also pass the light. The tower only is managed by the American Lighthouse Foundation.
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Directions: From Route 1, take High Street/Route 209 to Phippsburg. Turn left onto Parker Head Road. This road follows the river into the village of Parker Head. The light can be seen distantly across the Kennebec River. An excursion boat from Maine Maritime Museum or Boothbay Harbor will offer the best views.
Squirrel Point Light Located on the southwest point of Arrowsic Island, this lighthouse is one of several aids to navigation built along the Kennebec River in 1898. The 25-foot wooden tower is similar to the lighthouses at Doubling Point and Perkins Island (both on the Kennebec). The keeper’s house also was built in 1898, with the boathouse and oil house added a few years later; a fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed. After being operated for a time by the keeper at the Kennebec River Light Station, the Squirrel Point Light was automated in 1979. The keeper’s house is now privately owned by the non-profit Squirrel Point Association. The lighthouse is managed by the Chewonki Foundation. Cruises from Maine Maritime Museum in Bath and excursion boats from Boothbay Harbor pass this light; there also is a footpath to the lighthouse. Directions: The light may be seen distantly across the river from Phippsburg on Route 209. Turn left onto Parker Head Road; the light can be seen to the left directly across the river. Alternatively, from Route 1 just north of Bath, take Route 127 toward Arrowsic. Continue for about 4.5 miles; just before reaching the Georgetown-Arrowsic bridge, turn right onto Steen Road, then bear left onto Bald Head Road (dirt). This road ends after about 0.5 mile in a small parking area. From that area is a footpath to the lighthouse. The path begins straight ahead from the parking area; listen for the sound of water and look for the shoreline. After crossing a small, wooden bridge the path through the woods to the lighthouse is marked with faint yellow blazes. Keep the water (Kennebec River) to your right on the way to the lighthouse and on your left when returning.
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Doubling Point Light Located at a sharp double bend in the Kennebec River, this lighthouse was built in 1898 on the northwest end of Arrowsic Island to guide mariners into Bath. Among the four Kennebec River lights, Doubling Point is the closest to the shipbuilding harbor. The wood octagonal tower is connected to the island by a wooden walkway and originally held a fifth-order Fresnel lens; a wood frame keeper’s house, oil house and bell tower were built at the same time. The keeper’s house was sold to a private owner in 1934 and the lighthouse became the responsibility of the keeper at Doubling Point Range Lights up the river (also known as Kennebec River Range Lights). Following automation in 1979, the Fresnel lens was removed and the keeper at Squirrel Point Light assumed responsibility for monitoring the light. Finally, in 1981, monitoring of all three lights (Doubling Point, Squirrel Point and the Kennebec River Range Lights) was given to the keeper at the Kennebec River station. The lighthouse is accessible from the island and may be seen distantly from the shoreline in Bath. Frequent cruises from Maine Maritime Museum pass this light as do some excursion boats out of Boothbay Harbor. The station is now maintained by the Friends of Doubling Point Light. Directions: If coming from the Southwest, follow Route 1 over the Bath bridge and bear right immediately after the bridge. Turn left at the bottom of the hill and continue over the Arrowsic bridge. Continue on Route 127 for about 1 mile, and turn right onto the road marked “Whitmore’s Landing - to Doubling Point Rd.” At the “T” in the road where there is a row of mailboxes, turn left onto Doubling Point Rd. Follow this road to its end. If coming from the Northeast, follow Route 1 and turn right onto Route 127 South toward Arrowsic after the gas station. Continue straight over the Arrowsic bridge and follow the rest of the directions from, “If coming from the Southwest....”
Kennebec River Range Lights Several lighthouses were built in 1898 to aid mariners traveling along the Kennebec River toward the shipbuilding center of Bath. These lights (originally known as Doubling Point Range Lights) were established on Arrowsic Island in 1898; the two wooden towers are the only range lights in Maine. Straight alignment of the lights indicates to vessels the middle of the river channel on approach to Fiddler Reach, a sharp double bend in the river just beyond at Doubling Point. The front range light is 21 feet high, the rear light 13 feet tall; the towers are 235 feet apart and each originally held a fifth-order Fresnel lens (both were removed in 1979). A wooden walkway connects the keeper’s house and two towers. A boathouse was added in 1901 and an oil house in 1902. A bell tower in disrepair still stands between the Kennebec and Doubling Point stations. Beginning in 1938, efforts were made to consolidate and automate the series of Kennebec River lighthouses. The keeper at the Kennebec station was given the additional duty of keeping Doubling Point Light, just around the bend in the river. Then in 1979, responsibility for
Doubling Point Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
the Kennebec and Doubling Point lights was assumed by the keeper at Squirrel Point Light. Finally, in 1981, the Coast Guard moved the keeper from Squirrel Point back to the Kennebec Station. In 1982 the station was renamed Kennebec River Light Station and was the first to be tended by a woman resident keeper. The range lights were automated in 1990. The grounds are open to visitors. All lighthouse trips from Maine Maritime Museum pass the range lights as do some boats from Boothbay Harbor. The station is now owned by the non-profit Range Light Keepers Association. Directions: From Route 1 in Woolwich, turn south onto Route 127. After about 1.5 miles, just before the Arrowsic Town Hall, turn right onto Whitmore Landing Road to Doubling Point Road (marked). At the first fork, turn left into Doubling Point Road; bear left at the next fork and continue on the narrow lane to the lights. There is a boardwalk leading to the lighthouses. These lights are seen on Kennebec River trips from Boothbay Harbor or Maine Maritime Museum.
The Cuckolds Light In 1892, a stone fog signal house was built on this small island less than a mile off the tip of Southport Island and the village of Newagen. A light tower was added atop the original signal house in 1907. The light was automated in 1975 and the property abandoned; the keeper’s house and other outbuildings were subsequently swept away
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in a winter storm. The lighthouse is owned by the Cuckolds Fog Signal and Light Station Council. The light can be seen from Route 27 in Newagen but is best photographed from a tour boat.
Burnt Island Light
The Cuckolds Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Located on the west side of the entrance to Boothbay Harbor, this lighthouse was built in 1821. The 30-foot stone lighthouse was accompanied by a wood keeper’s house which was razed in 1857 and replaced by a one-and-a-half-story cottage. In the 1850s the tower’s lantern was enlarged to accommodate installation of a fourth-order Fresnel lens. A walkway between the tower and house also was added in 1857; the boathouse and oil house that remain were built in 1880 and 1899 respectively. A bell tower with 1,000-pound fog bell was added in 1895. Confusion with the light from the Cuckolds Light in the outer harbor prompted addition of a dark sector to the light in 1888; this code was changed in 1892 to the present red flashing light with white sectors. After this change, ships were not attracted over the rocks at the Cuckolds, which were in the path to Burnt Island Light. Burnt Island Light became the last lighthouse in New England to be converted from kerosene to electricity in April 1962. In 1989, the light was among the last in Maine to be automated; the Fresnel lens had been previously removed. Distant views are possible from the mainland on the east side of the harbor. Cruises from Boothbay Harbor pass this lighthouse; some trips originating at the Maine Maritime Museum include landing on the island. The station is now maintained by the Maine Department of Marine Resources as an educational facility. Directions: From Route 1 take Route 27 south into Boothbay Harbor; all tour boats pass the light. To view the light from shore: Take Route 27 (Townsend) north to Union Street. Turn right then right again at Atlantic Ave. Continue past Lobster Cove Road and Roads End Road to Grand View Road. The lighthouse may be seen from several points along that road heading to the Spruce Point Inn. Or, take Commercial Street (one way) to the Tugboat Inn; the light can be seen from the docks there.
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Hendricks Head Light The original light on the point of Southport Island on the east side of the mouth of the Sheepscot River was built in 1829. A fire required rebuilding of the keeper’s house in 1875. The station was discontinued in 1933, sold to private owners, then reestablished and automated in 1951. In 1991 the five-acre property was again sold to private owners who have carefully and accurately restore the structures to original appearance. The light can be photographed from the beach in Southport or from a tour boat.
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Directions: From Route 1, take Route 27 south into Boothbay Harbor. Continue on 27 to Southport Island. Bear right around a triangular intersection then, as the road dips down, bear left at the “Beach Road” sign. Continue about 0.5 miles to the beach and parking area.
Ram Island Light This light is located on Ram Island off Ocean Point on the eastern side of Boothbay Harbor. Built by order of President Chester A. Arthur in 1883, the brick lighthouse on granite base is similar to the towers at Marshall Point and Isle au Haut, and included a wooden walkway connecting the tower to the island. A Victorian keeper’s house and fog bell tower also were built in 1883 and an oil house added in 1898. The original aid to navigation on Ram Island was a lantern in the bow of a fisherman’s anchored dory. Custom dictated that the last fisherman into the harbor each day would light the lantern, but this routine ended when the dory was wrecked in a storm. Another fisherman then moved the lantern to the island and tended the light. Shipwrecks continued however, as this light was not bright enough to warn vessels away from the rocks. For some years thereafter, Ram Island had no light and locals talked of ghosts guiding ships to safe passage. Ram Island Light was automated in 1965; the house was vandalized and the fourth-order Fresnel lens stolen in 1975. In 1977, the Coast Guard repaired the lighthouse and removed the walkway which had fallen into disrepair. The boathouse was destroyed by a winter storm in 1978. Scheduled for demolition in 1983, the keeper’s house was rescued by the Grand Banks Schooner Museum Trust, which leased the property and grounds. The Ram Island Preservation Society, an offshoot off the parent trust, has since restored the house; part-time caretakers now live on the island during the summer. Lighthouse cruises from Maine Maritime Museum often include landing on the island. Some excursion boats from Boothbay Harbor pass this light as do the boats en route to Monhegan Island. The lighthouse also can be viewed in the distance from Ocean Point near Boothbay Harbor. Directions: From Route 1 take Route 27 south to Boothbay Harbor. Then take Route 96 east and south to Ocean Point and follow the shoreline loop road. Along that road there are numerous points to view the lighthouse across Fisherman Island passage. •
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Monhegan Island Light Monhegan Island, located 10 miles off the coast, is historically known as the first point sighted on most transatlantic voyages and as a well-known landmark for seafarers. It was only logical that a lighthouse would be located on the island. The first granite lighthouse was built near the center of the island, at its highest elevation, in 1824. This lighthouse is the second highest above water on the Maine coast at 178 feet; only Seguin is higher at 180 feet. In 1959 the light was automated and is now controlled by the Coast Guard. The keeper’s house is now a museum. Directions: Monhegan Island is reached by boat from either Boothbay Harbor, New Harbor or Port Clyde.
Matinicus Rock Light Matinicus Rock is an isolated, barren 32-acre granite island about five miles southeast of Matinicus Island, 25 miles from Rockland, the nearest port. This location experiences some of the most violent Atlantic weather, is fogbound approximately 20 percent of the year and is continuously scoured by waves. The lighthouse, located on the south side of the Rock, is probably the most isolated station along the Maine coast, halfway between Monhegan Island and Mt. Desert Island and 22 miles south of the entrance to Penobscot Bay. The prominent location on approach to the Bay prompted President John Quincy Adams to authorize construction of two lighthouses on Matinicus Rock in 1827. Twin wooden towers initially were built 40 feet apart, each at the end of a stone dwelling. In 1846 a new granite keeper’s house was constructed; two years later new granite towers were added, 60 yards apart. A 2,000-pound fog bell was added in 1855 and replaced in 1869 by one of the first steam-driven fog whistles. Both towers were rebuilt in 1857 and a third-order Fresnel lens installed in each. The north light was discontinued in 1883, but the single light proved unsatisfactory and in 1888 the second light was reinstated. In 1924 Matinicus Rock became a single light station (north light again discontinued) by government order, as did all twin-light stations. Following a violent storm in 1950, the station’s outbuildings and old keeper’s house were removed; the light was automated in 1983 and the Fresnel lens removed. The two towers, keeper’s house and an 1890 oil house now remain. Although there are many tales of heroism by the keepers of Matinicus Rock Light, the best known is that of 17-year-old Abbie Burgess. Her story is arguably foremost among lighthouse legends; she is credited with saving her three sisters and mother during a violent storm in January 1856. Her father became keeper at The Rock in 1853 and brought with him an invalid wife and five children. The oldest girl, 14-year-old Abbie, learned to tend the lamps and by age 17 was regularly looking after the lights while her
Matinicus Rock Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Pemaquid Point Light
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father went lobster fishing to augment his income. In January 1856, her father left for the mainland for provisions; a violent storm soon developed. Abbie took her family into the base of the lighthouse for safety as the storm swept away the keeper’s house. While rough seas kept her father away for a month, Abbie tended the lights and cared for her family. She later married Issac Grant, the son of the light keeper who replaced her father, and was appointed assistant keeper at Matinicus Rock. Abbie, her husband and four children were transferred to the Whitehead Light station in 1875 where they served for 15 years. In 1892 Abbie Grant died at the age of 53; at the foot of her grave in Forest Hill Cemetery (off Route 73 between South Thomaston and St. George) is a small replica of a lighthouse, placed there years afer her death by historian Edward Rowe Snow. The grave sites were restored by the American Lighthouse Foundation. Matinicus Rock Light Station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, includes a granite dwelling built in 1848, a boathouse from 1890 and twin granite towers built in 1858. The dwellings are also used as part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge’s extensive seabird restoration project on this island. Matinicus Rock is now home to a nesting colony of Atlantic Puffins, as well as terns and other sea birds. The lighthouse must be viewed by boat or air.
BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Pemaquid Point Light Offering at once some of the most majestic, stark, and striking scenery on the Maine coast, this lighthouse sits atop unique rock formations which reflect the result of waves pounding this area in strong storms. Commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams, this light is located at the west side of the entrance to Muscongus Bay. The original lighthouse was of faulty construction and therefore replaced by a 38-foot stone tower in 1835; a fourth-order Fresnel lens was added in 1856. A wooden keeper’s house replaced the initial stone structure in 1857. The fog bell house and tower were constructed in 1897 and included a hand-cranked mechanism which powered the striking machinery. In 1934 the bell was removed. The light, visible on a clear day for 14 miles, was the first in Maine to be automated in 1934. The keeper’s house now houses the Fishermen’s Museum which is operated by the town of Bristol, displaying artifacts of Maine lighthouses and the fishing/lobster industry. A park area is adjacent to the lighthouse grounds, easily accessible with parking. The tower is now under the care of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Directions: From Route 1 in Damariscotta, turn onto Routes 129/130, then follow Route 130 south to its end at Pemaquid Point. Alternatively, from Route 1 in Waldoboro, turn south onto
Franklin Island Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Route 32 and follow that route through New Harbor to the junction with Route 130. Turn south (left) onto Route 130 and follow the road to its end at Pemaquid Point. To view the lighthouse by boat, cruises are available out of Boothbay Harbor or from Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.
present dwelling. In 1971 the light was automated, the Fresnel lens removed and a LORAN navigation station set up in the keeper’s house. When that equipment became outdated in 1980, the dwelling was boarded up. Subsequently, the property was acquired by the town of St. George. Restoration of the structure was undertaken in 1986 by the Marshall Point Restoration Committee. Grants of more than $100,000 from the National Park Service Bicentennial Lighthouse Fund, matched by the town of St. George and public contributions, were used by the St. George Historical Society to accomplish the restoration. The keeper’s house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and the initial restoration completed in 1990. The Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum displays memorabilia relating to the town and three area lighthouses: Tenants Harbor, Whitehead and Marshall Point. Directions: From Route 1 in Thomaston, take Route 131 south through St. George and Tenants Harbor to Port Clyde. Turn left at the “Marshall Point Museum” sign (Drift Inn Road). Continue up the hill, passing another sign for the museum, and turn right onto Marshall Point Road. Pass a “Dead End” sign and two stone pillars on either side of the narrowing road. The road ends at the lighthouse parking area.
Franklin Island Light
Tenants Harbor Light
Five miles offshore from the town of Friendship, this light was built in 1855 to replace a day marker placed as a navigational aid in 1807. The lighthouse is located in the northwest side of Franklin Island in Muscongus Bay. Only the light tower remains; the keeper’s house and outbuildings were dismantled by the Coast Guard when the light was automated in 1967. Franklin Island Light was acquired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973. It is a functioning station that is owned and operated by the US Coast Guard and is on the National Register of Historic Places. This light can be photographed only by boat or by air.
Known among area residents as “Jamie Wyeth’s place,” the lighthouse is located at the east end of 22-acre Southern Island at the harbor entrance. The 27-foot brick tower was built in 1857 and is connected to the keeper’s house by a passageway. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was originally installed and an oil house added in 1906. The light was discontinued in 1934 and offered at auction; several owners preceded the purchase by Andrew Wyeth. His son, Jamie, now owns the property. The lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling have been restored and beautifully maintained.
Marshall Point Light NORA THOMPSON PHOTO
Marshall Point Light Marking the eastern side of the south entrance to Port Clyde Harbor, this lighthouse was built in 1832. At that time, the village of Port Clyde was a major port, with granite quarries, shipbuilding facilities and fish canning operations. The initial structure was a 20-foot tall rubblestone tower. In 1857 the present 31-foot brick and granite lighthouse was built with a fifth-order Fresnel lens installed. The lighthouse is connected to the shore by a wooden walkway and resembles the Isle au Haut and Ram Island Lights. A bell tower with 1,000-pound bronze bell was added in 1898 and remained in use until it was replaced by a horn in 1969. The original 1832 keeper’s house was destroyed by lightning in 1895 and replaced with the
Tenants Harbor Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Although the buildings can be seen distantly from the public landing at Tenants Harbor, trees often obscure any view of the lighthouse; best viewing is by boat or air as the lighthouse is on the eastern side of the island.
Whitehead Light President Thomas Jefferson ordered construction of this lighthouse in 1807. Located on a small island near Tenants Harbor, this light marks the western entrance to the Mussel Ridge Channel. The original lighthouse and keeper’s dwelling were stone structures. Because this area is covered in fog approximately 20 percent of the year, a fog signal was installed in 1839. The signal was continuously operated by a striking mechanism of timbers, chains and weights, which was wound, then driven by the rise and fall of the tide. The “perpetual fog bell” was well received by mariners but, by 1842, storm damage to the complex mechanism meant the keeper was again responsible for sounding the fog bell. A steam-driven whistle was installed in the 1860s. In 1852, a new, 41-foot lighthouse and new wooden keeper’s house replaced the initial structures; a third-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1857. Whitehead was the first Maine light station to have a one-room school house and teacher, with more than 30 children, some from nearby islands, in attendance. The teacher boarded with the keeper’s family. Tales associated with this light include that of two shipwrecked sailors who froze to death on Whitehead in 1805; their graves remain on the island. Another involves the first lighthouse keeper, Ellis Dolph, who initiated a side business by selling the whale oil intended for the light. As the orders for oil steadily increased, officials became suspicious; investigation revealed that storekeepers in nearby Thomaston had been buying entire barrels of oil from the keeper. Dolph’s duties were summarily terminated. Whitehead Island is perhaps most well known for one of its assistant keepers. In 1875 Issac Grant became keeper of the light; his assistant, and wife, was Abbie Burgess Grant, heroine of Matinicus Rock. Their son took over as keeper in 1890; the station would later become a “stag” light instead of a family station. The station is now privately owned. •
Whitehead Light
BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Penobscot Bay Area
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
Two Bush Island Light This island takes its name from two solitary pine trees that served as day beacons before the 42-foot square lighthouse was built in 1897. Located just outside the west side of Penobscot Bay, almost directly south of Owls Head, this light marks the north end of Two Bush
Channel and the east side entrance to the Mussel Ridge Channel, a principal sea lane to west Penobscot Bay. The trees are long gone and the location remains among the more lonely and isolated along the coast. Legend tells of a keeper’s dog named Smut who was involved in a heroic rescue. The story tells that, during a snow storm, a fishing
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Preservationists objected to that plan and a battle of conflicting opinions/ intents/interpretations ensued, each group claiming to offer the best course of action. An agreement was reached whereby the Coast Guard turned over the light station to the Island Institute of Rockland. In 1989 the owner of Green Island unofficially renamed the island “Bush Island” after then President George Bush. Outward Bound’s Hurricane Island is “next door.” The lighthouse must be viewed by boat or air. Windjammer cruises from Camden, Rockport or Rockland often pass this light.
Browns Head Light Heron Neck Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
schooner was in danger of being smashed on the rocky shores of the island. The fishermen had taken to a dory as a leak opened on the vessel. When trying to find a way to land at Two Bush, they heard Smut barking. Alerted by the dog’s commotion, the keeper ran to the shore and saw the two men in the dory. Although their boat was overturned by a wave, the fishermen were hauled ashore by the keeper and his assistant. Smut welcomed the visitors with licks and both mariners offered to buy the dog at any price. The keeper refused to sell. Two Bush Light was automated in 1964; in 1970 the Coast Guard allowed the Green Berets to destroy the keeper’s house as a demolition exercise. Two Bush Island has a functioning light station within a brick tower built in 1897. Due to the loss of the remaining buildings over time, this structure is ineligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places.Today the light stands alone on the stark island and must be photographed by boat or air. The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Heron Neck Light On the southern tip of Green Island, just southwest of Carver’s Harbor on Vinalhaven, this light was built in 1854 to mark the east entrance to Hurricane Sound. The 30-foot brick tower, located on a sharply defined rock ledge, was attached to the brick keeper’s house by a passageway; a fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed. The keeper’s house was rebuilt in 1895, an oil house (still standing) added in 1903 and fog bell tower in 1944. A fog horn subsequently replaced the bell. Heron Neck Light was automated in 1982 and a new plastic 300mm lens replaced the Fresnel. In April of 1989 an electrical fire severely damaged the empty keeper’s house but fortunately the lighthouse tower was spared. Shortly thereafter in 1990 the Coast Guard confirmed there was no intent to rebuild the dwelling. This decision received national publicity and in 1992 a Boston developer offered to restore the structure. Citing an engineering survery stating that restoration of the keeper’s house to its original condition would be impossible, the Coast Guard then announced plans to raze the building.
Vinalhaven is part of a group called the Fox Islands after the grey foxes that once lived there in abundance. Located 12 miles from Rockland in the middle of Penobscot Bay, the island was named for John Vinal. Maine was then a part of Massachusetts and Vinal lobbied the state legislature to incorporate the island as a town in 1789. Today the island supports a substantial fishing and lobstering industry, but in the 19th century, the granite industry was the mainstay of the local economy. Increased shipping traffic associated with this industry prompted President Andrew Jackson to authorize construction of Browns Head Light in 1832. The light is located on the northwest point of Vinalhaven, marking the western entrance to the Fox Islands Thorofare. The keeper’s house was in disrepair in 1857 and a new oneand-a-half-story wood-framed house was built, connected by a covered walkway to the 20-foot tower. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed in that year as was a bell tower with 1,000-pound fog bell. In 1987 Browns Head Light was among the last lighthouses in Maine to be automated. The Fresnel lens was removed; the bell tower was destroyed for no apparent reason after the automation. The bell is now displayed by the Vinalhaven Historical Society. The light station grounds are now owned by the town of Vinalhaven. The island is reached by year-round ferry from Rockland; the lighthouse is six miles from the ferry landing. Some scenic cruises from Camden also pass this light. Directions: Take the ferry from Rockland to Vinalhaven. Coming off the ferry, turn right and follow Main and High Streets to North Haven Road. Turn right and continue for about six miles; be careful to keep track of mileage as there are no street signs or markers to the light. Look for a group of mailboxes at the intersection with a dirt road (Crockett River Road); turn left onto that road, then right at the second dirt road to the right. There is a small sign pointing to the lighthouse. Pass a small cemetery on the right. There is a small parking area at the light. Additionally, the Goose Rocks Lighthouse can be seen in the distance from Calderwood Point on Calderwood Neck. The road is unimproved; hiking to the point, rather than driving, is recommended. Both lights are easily viewed by boat from the Fox Islands Thorofare.
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Owls Head Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Goose Rocks Light Goose Rocks Light was established in 1890 to mark the east entrance to the Fox Islands Thorofare, a busy waterway between Vinalhaven and North Haven islands. The structure is a typical caisson-type or “sparkplug” style, cast-iron lighthouse of that era, built on a circular foundation filled with concrete. Lubec Channel and Spring Point Ledge lights also are of this type. The 51-foot tower has three stories inside and originally had a fourth-order Fresnel lens. In 1963 the light was automated, the lens replaced with a 250mm modern optic and subsequently converted to solar power. Although visible distantly from Vinalhaven, the light is best viewed by boat or air. The lighthouse is owned by Beacon Preservation, Inc.
Owls Head Light The growing lime trade in nearby Rockland and Thomaston warranted construction of a lighthouse at Owls Head, at the entrance to Rockland Harbor. President John Quincy Adams authorized the work in 1825. The 20-foot brick tower is unusually short; the height of the promontory made a tall lighthouse unnecessary, still putting the light at 100 feet above sea level. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1856. Legend tells that during a storm in December 1850, a small schooner from Massachusetts broke loose from its mooring at
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Jameson Point and headed across Penobscot Bay toward Owls Head. The captain had gone ashore leaving the mate, a seaman and one passenger aboard. As the storm intensified, the vessel smashed into the rocky ledges south of the lighthouse; the three on board huddled together, wrapped in blankets against the freezing surf. As the schooner broke apart, the seaman left the vessel, managed to get ashore and reached the road to the lighthouse. The keeper happened to be driving by in a sleigh, took the dazed man to his house and learned of the others still at sea. A rescue party located the schooner and found a block of ice enveloping the mate and passenger. After bringing the block ashore, carefully chipping away the ice and slowly warming the victims, both revived. The mate, Richard Ingraham and passenger, Lydia Dyer, were later married. The seaman died soon after the wreck. Another well-known tale associated with Owls Head light is that of springer spaniel, Spot. The dog learned to pull the fog bell rope with his teeth when he saw an approaching vessel. Boats would answer with a whistle or bell and Spot would bark reply. One stormy night in the 1890s, the mailboat from Matinicus was headed toward Owls Head. The fog bell rope was buried in the snow but Spot’s constant barking warned the captain in time to guide his vessel around the peninsula, clear the rocks, and sound a whistle to acknowledge safe passage. The spaniel is buried on the hillside near the former location of the fog bell. The 1854 keeper’s house remains a residence for Coast Guard personnel and the surrounding grounds are now a state park. The bell tower is gone but the 1895 oil house remains. The lighthouse is easily accessible with parking nearby; ferries and excursion boats also pass the light. Owls Head Light is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation and cared for by its local chapter, Friends of Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, who open the light tower at various times during the season. Directions: From Route 1 in Rockland, turn south onto Route 73 and continue about two miles, turning left onto North Shore Drive. Go about 2.5 miles, turning left just past the Owls Head post office, onto Main Street. Continue to Lighthouse Road (marked) and turn left; the road becomes a dirt road and leads to a parking and picnic area. A short walk takes you to the lighthouse. The keeper’s house is occupied by a Coast Guard family. Ferries, harbor tour boats, windjammers and charter boat excursions all pass this light.
Rockland Harbor Southwest Light This light was established as a local aid to navigation in 1987, marking Seal Ledge and shallow water south and southwest of the ledge. Built by an individual over a six-year period between 19811987, this light is the only privately built lighthouse to become an official aid to navigation. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was added in 1989. It can be viewed from Snow Marine Park adjacent Mechanic Street in Rockland’s South End.
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Indian Island Light The first Indian Island Light, established in 1850 at the east entrance to Rockport Harbor, was a lantern mounted on the roof of the keeper’s house. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1856. After being discontinued for a time, the light was reactivated and a new lighthouse tower was built in 1875. The present lighthouse is a square, brick tower attached to the original one-and-a-half-story T-shaped brick keeper’s house. The light was discontinued permanently in 1934 and replaced by an automatic light on nearby Lowell rock. Since that time the property has been privately owned and posted off limits to the public. Although visible distantly from Rockport Marine Park and other points on shore in the Beauchamp Point area, the light is best viewed from excursion boats and schooners from Camden, Rockport and Rockland. Rockland Breakwater Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Rockland Breakwater Light A small lantern was placed at Jameson Point at the entrance to Rockland Harbor in 1827. As Rockland became a leading port for export of lime rock in the late 19th century, it became apparent that a lighthouse was necessary. The 0.8 mile-long stone jetty was built between 1881 and 1899; as the work progressed in piecemeal fashion, dependent upon allocation of funds, the small beacon was moved farther out as the breakwater extended. In 1902 a permanent lighthouse was built at the breakwater’s end and a 25-foot brick tower was added atop the roof of the brick keeper’s house. A fourth order Frensel lens was installed. The light was automated in 1964 and in 1973 the Coast Guard announced plans to raze the structure. This news was not well received, prompting the nearby Samoset Resort to assume partial responsibility for upkeep of the dwelling. However, in 1989 the resort relinquished its involvement. Major renovations were completed in 1990. The lighthouse is now owned by the city of Rockland and leased to the Friends of Rockland Breakwater, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Although the walk along the breakwater takes you directly to the lighthouse, best views and photographs are from the water. Ferries from Rockland pass this light as do area excursion boats and schooners. Directions: From Route 1, turn onto Waldo Avenue (“Samoset Resort” sign). Continue for about 0.5 mile, turning right at Samoset road. The road ends at a parking area. The breakwater, to the left of a small park area, leads about 0.8 mile to the lighthouse. The Maine State Ferries from Rockland to Vinalhaven and North Haven pass close to this light. Additionally, Rockland is home to many of Maine’s windjammers. A trip aboard any of these vessels takes you by Rockland Breakwater light and other lighthouses in Penobscot Bay.
Directions: In Rockport at the intersection of Routes 1 and 90, turn east onto West Street. Continue to Pascal Avenue and turn left, crossing the Goose River Bridge. Turn around and bear left just past the bridge into the Rockport Marine Park entrance (clearly marked). There is a parking area down the hill. From Camden, follow Chestnut Street then Russell Avenue to Beauchamp Point. The road becomes a dirt road and, although narrow, there are areas to park. The area is lovely and the lighthouse can be seen in the distance.
Curtis Island Light In the early 1600s Capt. John Smith arrived in Camden Harbor. With him on the voyage was a black cook who allowed that if he could have any place in the world, the small island would be the place. Capt. Smith then awarded the cook ownership, whereupon the island became “Negro Island.” More than 200 years later, the first brick lighthouse on the five-acre island at the entrance to Camden Harbor was built in 1835 by order of President Andrew Jackson. Marking the south side of the harbor entrance, the initial tower was replaced with the present 25-foot brick tower in 1896. The keeper’s house was rebuilt in 1889 and a boathouse added. A fourth-order Fresnel lens also was installed.
Curtis Island Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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The island’s name was changed in 1934 to Curtis Island in memory of Cyrus H.K. Curtis, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post and longtime summer resident and benefactor of Camden. In 1972 the light was automated and the Fresnel lens removed; the town of Camden acquired the property surrounding the lighthouse the following year. Although there are several locations along the shore offering distant views of this light, it is best seen and photographed by boat or air. Any of the sight-seeing or windjammer cruises departing from the Camden Harbor public landing will pass immediately in front of the lighthouse and afford excellent views. Directions: Route 1 to Camden. Turn onto Bayview Street, then left to the town warf. Arrangements may be made to go to Curtis Island for the day or for a few hours to enjoy the park. The light also may be seen well in winter through the trees up Bayview Street; the drives are private property and there is no access to the shorefront.
Grindle Point Light Islesboro is a 10-mile long narrow island in upper Penobscot Bay. The largest 19th-century commercial shipping fleet in the bay was based
at Islesboro. Located on the north side of the entrance to Gilkey Harbor, the original 28-foot tower was established in 1851 built on three acres of land purchased from Francis Grindle who became the second keeper in April 1853. The tower was rebuilt in 1874 after succumbing to the elements, a 39-foot square brick tower attached by covered walkway to the 1-1/2 story keeper’s house. Both structures still remain. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed; a boathouse was added in 1886 and an oil house in 1906. In 1934 Grindle Point Light was deactivated and replaced by a nearby skeleton light tower. The grounds and lighthouse became property of the town of Islesboro. Fifty three years later, Islesboro residents convinced the Coast Guard to recommission Grindle Point lighthouse in 1987; a solarpowered optic was installed and the skeleton tower removed. The Islesboro Sailor’s Memorial Museum is now located in the keeper’s house. Although distantly visible from the mainland, the ferry between Lincolnville and Islesboro docks next to the lighthouse; the three-mile crossing takes 20 minutes each way. Directions: Route 1 to Lincolnville (north from Camden, south from Belfast). Follow signs to Islesboro Ferry. There is parking adjacent to the ferry landing.
Fort Point Light
Grindle Point Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
At the west side of the mouth of the Penobscot River in Stockton Springs, Fort Point Light was established in 1836 by order of President Andrew Jackson to aid vessels bound for Bangor, a leading lumber port. The lighthouse got its name from adjacent Fort Pownall, built in 1759 to guard against the
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Fort Point Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
French, by order of Massachusetts Governor Pownall (Maine was at that time a part of Massachusetts). The first wooden tower was replaced by the present 31-foot square, brick lighthouse in 1857; a two-story keeper’s house, attached to the tower, was built in the same year. In 1890 a bell tower was added and in 1897 and oil house built. All buildings still remain, with the pyramidal bell tower listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Replaced by a fog horn, the bell now hangs outside the tower; the 1857 Fresnel lens remains in use. The bell tower houses historic photos and is sometimes open to the public. The light was automated in 1988; the grounds and buildings are now part of Fort Point State Park. The lighthouse is easily accessible with nearby parking. Directions: From Route 1 at Stockton Springs, take the turn marked “Stockton Springs.” Continue about 0.5 mile through the small town and follow the Fort Point State Park sign, turning right onto East Cape Road. Follow that road to the park entrance; the park road is clearly marked and leads to a small parking area near the lighthouse. If the entrance gate is closed, park just outside and walk into the park about 0.75 mile to the lighthouse. •
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Eggemoggin Reach Area
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
Dice Head Light Castine is a village whose quiet, historic elegance belies an eventful, vivid past. The town, located at the entrance to the Penobscot River, was initially settled as a trading post by the Pilgrims of Plymouth and later named after the Baron de St. Castine who took over the town in 1676. Because of its strategic location, Castine was variously occupied by the British, French and Dutch. In 1779, during the American Revolution, an entire American fleet was lost in the course of attempting to recapture Castine from the British. In the mid-19th century clipper ships regularly left Castine to trade goods around the world. It was established as a French trading post in 1614. Built in 1828, Dice Head Light was intended to guide mariners into Castine Harbor and into the mouth of the Penobscot River toward Bangor. The stone tower was at one time surrounded by a six-sided wooden frame, removed by the late 19th century; in 1858 a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed. Dice Head Light was discontinued in 1935 and replaced by a white skeleton tower on the north side of the harbor. The keeper’s house
and surrounding land became the property of the town in 1937 and in 1956 the lighthouse became town property. The keeper’s house is now rented with the income used for maintenance of the grounds. The keeper’s house was heavily damaged by fire but has been restored. The lighthouse is easily accessible from the village; a trail leads to the front of the lighthouse and to the water.
Pumpkin Island Light This light is located at the northern end of Eggemoggin Reach, just off Little Deer Island on what was once called Tent Island. Built in 1854 and automated in 1930, the light is no longer operational and has been privately owned since 1934. Although it is possible to view and photograph the light from land, it is best seen by boat or air. Directions: From Route 1 at Orland, turn south toward Castine onto Route 175. Follow Routes 175/15 south through Penobscot and Sargentville. Turn right to Little Deer Isle, continue across the Deer Island suspension bridge. Bear right at the end of the bridge (Route 15
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Directions: Via mailboat out of Sunset. Take Route 15 into Deer Isle and turn right at the post office (marked with a “Sunset” sign), bear right again at Pressey Village Road (0.5mile), then left onto Dunham Point Road. Continue on to Sylvester Cove (about 3.2 miles from the post office).
turns left) onto Eggemoggin Road. Continue 2.6 miles to the road’s end at a fishing pier near the Eggemoggin Inn. Pumpkin Island can be seen just offshore.
Eagle Island Light Eagle Island is located in Penobscot Bay between Deer Isle and North Haven. Commissioned by President Van Buren in 1839, Eagle Island Light was established on the east end of the 260-acre island to guide vessels toward the Penobscot River and on to Bangor, America’s leading lumber port in the mid-19th century. A wood frame, two-story keeper’s house and fog bell tower were built at the same time as the stone lighthouse. An oil house was added in 1895; a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1858. In 1932 a 4,200-pound bronze fog bell was installed in the bell tower. The light was automated in 1959 and all buildings except the tower itself were put up for bid with the condition that the buyer remove structures from the light station property. When no one came forward, the Coast Guard in 1963 decided to raze the
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Deer Island Thorofare/ Mark Island Light
Dice Head Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
buildings. Members of the Quinn family, long-time residents of the island with ties to previous keepers of Eagle Island Light, appealed the decision but were unsuccessful in preventing the demolition. In 1964 all buildings were razed, leaving the tower scarred and only traces of the old foundations remaining. When trying to remove the giant fog bell, the demolition crew lost control of it and the bell careened down the cliff into the ocean. An unexpecting lobsterman later found the bell and retrieved it; photographer Eliot Porter subsequently purchased the bell. The lighthouse is now on private property and One Park Drive access to the island Rockland, Maine carefully controlled. 207-594-3301 The lighthouse is maintained by Hours: the Eagle Light Mon-Fri: 10 am-5 pm Caretakers. Views Sat & Sun: 10 am-4 pm from the water are partially obscured by Admission: $5 trees. Excursion trips Seniors $4 around, not onto, the (children under 12 are free) island are offered via A must-see for anyone interested in the mailboat from LIGHTHOUSES AND AMERICAN Sunset, Maine; check area information for MARITIME HISTORY! the schedule.
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A strong fishing industry and booming, prosperous granite quarries in the area made the Deer Island Thorofare a busy waterway in the 19th century. The lighthouse on the west side of Mark Island guards the western approach to the Thorofare and was built in 1857 to help mariners negotiate the waters near Stonington. A 25-foot square brick tower was constructed and the tower fitted with a fourthorder Fresnel lens; keeper’s house, bell tower, oil house and boathouse also were added. The light was automated in 1958 and the Fresnel lens replaced by a modern optic. All buildings except the tower were destroyed. Although visible distantly from the mainland, the light should be viewed by boat. The lighthouse is maintained by the Island Heritage Trust. Directions: From Route 1 at Orland, take routes 175 and 166 to Castine. Continue one mile past Fort George and Maine Maritime Academy on Battle Avenue to the road’s end. There is a public (marked) path to the left by the garage.
Blue Hill Bay Light On the west side of Green Island, this lighthouse was established in 1857 by order of President Franklin Pierce to guide mariners into Eggemoggin Reach connecting Penobscot Bay and the western edge of Blue Hill Bay. The lighthouse often was referred to as Eggemoggin Light. The colonial cape keeper’s house was connected by brick passageway to the tower. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1933 and replaced two years later by an automatic light on a skeleton tower. The property is now privately owned and must be viewed from the water or air. •
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Mount Desert Area
Š 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
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than 4,000 individual humpback whales and 500 finbacks have been indentified. The lightstation is used as a research base when whales are feeding in that area. Directions: The light can be seen only by boat or by air. Whalewatching trips usually head to feeding grounds in the Mt. Desert Rock area, so the lighthouse may be seen from one of these excursions. However, because the route is determined by location of the whales, close views of the light cannot always be guaranteed. The trip to the light is about 1.5-2 hours each way and weather can often preclude good viewing and photography.
Burnt Coat Harbor Light Mount Desert Rock Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
Mount Desert Rock Light Clearly one of the most isolated along the Maine coast, the first lighthouse on Mt. Desert Rock was built in 1830 to mark the entrances to Frenchman and Blue Hill Bays. The tiny waveswept island, approximately 600 yards long, 200 yards wide and only 17 feet above sea level at its highest point, is located some 25 nautical miles south of Mt. Desert Island. The first structure was a short wooden tower atop a stone keeper’s dwelling, with a system of eight lamps fueled by whale oil. In 1847 a new 58-foot granite tower replaced the initial weatherbeaten tower; the original keeper’s house remained in use until 1876. The present keeper’s dwelling is the third, built in 1893. A third-order Fresnel lens was added in 1858, along with a fog bell and bell tower. Because the bell was scarcely audible above the roaring surf, it was replaced by a fog whistle in 1889. Electricity in the form of a generator came to the light and keeper’s house in 1931. Even in relatively mild storms waves wash over the island. An 1842 report by Maine’s Superintendent of Lighthouses noted that a storm relocated a 57-ton granite boulder on the island; the report also mentioned that another storm moved a 75-ton boulder some 60 feet. Because the island has no topsoil, gardening was a challenge. Each spring keepers would bring barrels and bags of soil to establish vegetable and flower gardens for the summer. But with the first winter gales the results of those efforts would be washed away by the sea and the rock swept clean of all dirt. The lantern was removed from the light in the mid-1970s to accommodate rotating aerobeacons. Public complaints and storm damage convinced the Coast Guard to install a new lantern in 1985. The last keepers were removed by helicopter in 1977 and the property is now owned by the College of the Atlantic for use as a whale watching station. The college’s Allied Whale program compiles and catalogs the North Atlantic population of finback and humpback whales. More
A set of range lights originally was built on the southwest tip of Swans Island in 1872. The lights were built a distance apart, with the rear light at a higher elevation; a safe channel was indicated when the lights lined up. However, after complaints that the two lights caused confusion on approaching the harbor, the Lighthouse Board removed the smaller front range light in 1855. In 1994 the Coast Guard turned the property over to the town of Swans Island; plans were to develop a public park at the station. Swans Island can be reached by car ferry from Bass Harbor. From the ferry landing it is about five miles to the light. Directions: Follow “Swans Island Ferry” signs taking Route 102 into Bass Harbor, then turn right to the ferry landing. On the island, turn right at the ferry landing, then right again at the next Minturn turnoff into the village of Swans Island. The road ends, bear left onto a narrow path to a parking area at the lighthouse. A car is unnecessary as the route is an easy bicycle trip.
Great Duck Island Light Located about six miles southeast of Bass Harbor, the light was built in 1890 at the direction of President Benjamin Harrison. Large flocks of ducks arrived at a pond on the island each spring to raise their young, hence the name “Great Duck.” The lighthouse was intended to direct vessels into Bass Harbor or Southwest Harbor, both offering safe refuge in storms. A small burial ground behind the lighthouse marks the grave of two shipwrecked mariners found frozen to death in each other’s arms. In 1984, the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy purchased the privately owned island. The light was automated in 1986 and the Coast Guard retained jurisdiction over the light station until 1992, at which time the Conservancy gained full control of the station. Major repairs to the tower were undertaken in 1994 and completed in the summer of 1995. Directions: The light may be seen only from the air or by boat. Whale watching trips from Bar Harbor generally head in the direction of this lighthouse but the course often changes according to location of the whales.
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Bass Harbor Head Light Located at the southwestern point of Mt. Desert Island, this lighthouse was built in 1858 to warn mariners of the Bass Harbor Bar at the eastern entrance to the harbor and to mark the entrance to Blue Hill Bay. Bass Harbor also offered shelter for vessels seeking refuge from easterly gales. The lighthouse is now among the most accessible and most photographed in Maine. The brick lighthouse is attached to the one-and-a-half-story wood frame keeper’s house by a covered walkway. A bell tower was added in 1876 but has since been removed; a 1902 oil house remains. The original fifth-order Fresnel lens was replaced in 1902 by a fourth-order Fresnel lens which remains in the tower. The keeper’s house is not open to the public, however, paths lead down to boulders neighboring the light station and a walkway takes you to the front of the house and the lighthouse. Directions: Follow Route 3 from Ellsworth to Route 198; turn south onto Route 102 and continue through Bass Harbor to the Coast Guard Bass Harbor Head Station entrance. There are trails east of the parking area which lead down to large granite boulders at the shore; best views and photographs of the light from land are taken from these rocks. From the water: Follow “Swans Island Ferry” signs through Bass Harbor, turning right onto Swans Island Road and the ferry landing. This light is easily incorporated into most sightseeing boat or air charter lighthouse routes.
Baker Island Light Baker Island, at the southwest entrance to Frenchman Bay, is located about four miles from Mt. Desert Island and is one of five islands that make up the Cranberry Isles. President John Quincy Adams authorized construction of a lighthouse on the island in 1828 in order to mark the western approach to Frenchman Bay, dangerous ledges and shoals around the Cranberry Isles. The wood tower, built on the highest point on the island, was the earliest lighthouse in the Mt. Desert area. William and Hanna Gilley took possession of Baker Island in the early 19th century. Gilley was appointed first keeper and held the position for 21 years until his dismissal in 1846; he then moved to Great Duck Island. Two Gilley sons subsequently harassed the new lighthouse keeper, prompting eviction efforts by the government. The Gilleys resisted and legal battles ensued for years; the lighthouse station eventually became government property with the Gilleys retaining the remainder of the island. The present 43-foot brick tower was built in 1855 and a fourthorder Fresnel lens installed. There was at one time a short covered passageway between the dwelling and lighthouse. The light was automated and converted to solar power in 1966. In 1989 the Maine Historic Preservation Commission refurbished the light but in 1991 the Coast Guard announced plans to deactivate the light, allowing that trees obscured a clear view of the beacon. Complaints from local
Bass Harbor Head Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
mariners convinced the Coast Guard to reconsider and the trees were trimmed a bit. Plans for discontinuation of Baker Island Light were renewed in 1997. Local mariners and others again convinced the Coast Guard the light was needed but the problem with the trees remains an issue. The 123-acre wooded island is now part of Acadia National Park, which offers summer excursions to the island from Northeast Harbor. Directions: From Route 3 or 233 (Eagle Lake Road) in Mt. Desert, take Route 198 south to Northeast Harbor. Turn left off Route 198 in Northeast Harbor at Harbor Drive (sign indicates “marina”). The Islesford Ferry, docked at Northeast Harbor Marina, offers trips to the island. A naturalist (sponsored by Acadia National Park) accompanies visitors and leads a walk which includes a visit to the lighthouse. Also by custom charter.
Bear Island Light The entrance to Northeast Harbor on Mt. Desert was marked by this light, built in 1839, and rebuilt in 1889. In 1982 the light station was deactivated and replaced by offshore lighted buoys and the property incorporated into Acadia National Park in 1987. The light was reestablished as a private aid to navigation in 1989. Since 1991 the station has been leased by the National Park Service to a private owner. The light may be seen easily by boat. Directions: The ferries/mailboats to Cranberry Isles pass this lighthouse.
Winter Harbor (Mark Island) Light This light, built in 1856, is on Mark Island across Frenchman Bay from Bar Harbor. Privately owned since 1934, the light is no longer functioning. Although best photographed from the water or air, the lighthouse can be seen from the Schoodic Peninsula section of Acadia National Park.
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Directions: From Route 1, turn south onto Route 186 at West Gouldsboro, toward Schoodic Point. Turn off Route 186 at the marked road leading to Acadia National Park, Schoodic Peninsula (between Birch Harbor and Winter Harbor). The park’s perimeter road is a one-way loop and the lighthouse/ island can be seen from that road. Excursion and tour boats from Bar Harbor offer closer views for better photography.
Egg Rock Light Built on a rocky ledge in 1875, this light was intended to mark the entrance to Frenchman Bay. Egg Rock Light consists of a brick tower in the center of a one-and-a-halfstory wood keeper’s house; the design was intended to conserve space. The lighthouse originally held a fifth-order Fresnel lens. In 1876 the building was damaged by a March gale which moved the bell tower 30 feet. Following similar damage in an 1887 blizzard, a new skeletal bell tower was constructed and later replaced by a steamdriven fog horn. In 1902, Egg Rock Light was upgraded with installation of a new fourth-order lens; the characteristic was changed from fixed red to flashing white. The grounding of the battleship Massachusetts in 1903 prompted addition of a new fog horn to the station in 1904. However, Joseph Pulitzer, who owned a nearby estate, protested that noise from the new horn disturbed his quietude; the signal then was turned to face away from his property and remains so directed. The light was automated and Coast Guard keepers removed in 1976. Rotating aerobeacons were installed following removal of the lighthouse lantern. This change gave Egg Rock Light a decidedly homely appearance; it was labeled by many as the least attractive lighthouse in Maine. In 1986, responding to complaints, the Coast Guard installed a new aluminum lantern, 190mm optic and railing around the lantern deck perimeter to improve the appearance of the lighthouse. A boathouse, oil house and generator house still remain on the property. Egg Rock Light Station, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, consists
Egg Rock Light
BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
of a frame dwelling with a lantern on its roof, built in 1875, and a brick fog signal building, built in 1904. The dwelling has received significant repairs in recent years including a new roof and windows, along with new storm shutters. Almost all excursion boats from Bar Harbor pass this lighthouse each day as do whale watches leaving the harbor. The light also may be seen from the Loop Road in Acadia National Park, the Shore Path in Bar Harbor and from other high viewpoints on Mt. Desert. The lighthouse is now maintained by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The Loop Road in Acadia National park offers distant views of this light from several scenic overlooks on the eastern side of the park.
wood-framed lighthouse and new one-and-ahalf-story dwelling. The lantern held a fifthorder Fresnel lens; a stone oil house was added in 1905. In 1934 the keeper was removed from Prospect Harbor light and the Fresnel lens removed in 1951, replaced by an automatic modern optic. The lighthouse is now on the grounds of a Navy Special Operations Command installation which is off limits to the public. The tower is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation. The light may be easily seen from across the harbor and may also be photographed from just outside the base entrance. Walking along the rocks at the water’s edge affords excellent views; there is a scheduled open house each spring.
Prospect Harbor Point Light
Directions: From Route 1, take either Route 186 or 195 to Prospect Harbor. Turn at the sign to Corea at the intersection of these two routes. FR 605 (Lighthouse Point Road) is about 0.2 mile — Route 195 bears left to Corea, but continue straight on FR 605 to the restricted U.S. Navy communications station. The light is easily photographed from the shoreline. Alternatively, across the harbor the light can be seen and photographed from a turnout on the shoulder of Route 186. •
The small town of Prospect Harbor boasted a large fishing fleet in the 19th century, prompting construction of a lighthouse in 1850 to mark the east side of the inner harbor entrance. Deactivated in 1859, the light was reactivated by the Lighthouse Board in 1870. The initial granite lighthouse attached to a keeper’s house was replaced in 1891 with the present 38-foot
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Downeast Coast
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
Petit Manan Light Established in 1817 and rebuilt of granite in 1855, this is the second tallest lighthouse in Maine, standing 123 feet above mean high water (the tower is 119 feet high). The light is located on the east point of Petit Manan Island, 2.5 miles off Petit Manan Point in South Milbridge. The station also has a fog signal to warn of a nearby reef as the location is one of the foggiest along the East Coast, engulfed in fog about 20 percent of the year. The island was named by explorer Samuel de Champlain because it reminded him of Grand Manan to the northeast. The “Manan” comes from the Micmac Indian word for “island out to sea.” The process of rebuilding the light in 1855 was twofold. The granite was first cut and assembled at a quarry in Trenton. Numbered stones were dismantled and brought to the island by boat for reassembly. Constantly buffeted by storms, the tower was strengthened by addition of iron tie rods in 1887. The lantern room at one time held a second-order Fresnel lens. After automation of the light, the island was turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife refuge. The island now supports common, arctic and roseate tern colonies, a breeding colony of Atlantic puffins and common eiders. Fish and Wildlife staff use the tower as an observation post and live in the keeper’s house. Puffin watches from Bar Harbor go to Petit Manan and spend time offshore watching the birds. The lighthouse also can be seen
Petit Manan Light PHOTO COURTESY MAINE COASTAL ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE/ FRIENDS OF MAINE’S SEABIRD ISLANDS
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in the distance from Petit Manan Point in Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. Petit Manan Island structures are currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structures were built in the late 19th century. These dwellings and outbuildings are currently used as a research base for the extensive seabird restoration project on the island. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the automated lights themselves. Directions: On Route 1, between Steuben and Milbridge, turn south onto Pigeon Hill Road (marked). The turn is approximately three miles west of the intersection of Routs 1 and 1A in Milbridge and three miles east of the Unionville and Steuben Road intersection. Continue on Pigeon Hill Road to the Chitman Point area (approximately 5.5-6 miles) to the fisherman’s co-op. Petit Manan can be seen in the distance. Continuing south about 0.5 mile brings you to the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. There is a parking lot straight ahead; just south of the parking lot is the beginning of a five-mile Shore Trail. The first two miles of the trail lead to the eastern side of Petit Manan Point peninsula and offer good, distant views of the light.
Narraguagus (Pond) Island Light Called Pond Island Light by people in the area, the lighthouse is located southeast of Milbridge, on a rock ledge on the seaward side of Pond Island in Narraguagus Bay. The light was built in 1853 and the present keeper’s house built in 1875. After deactivation of the light in 1934, Pond Island became a resort with a golf course. Only the privately-owned light station now remains. The light only can be seen from the air or by boat.
Nash Island Light The lighthouse, built in 1838 and rebuilt in 1873, is located on the east side entrance to Pleasant Bay near South Addison. Automated in 1958 and later discontinued and replaced by a lighted buoy in 1981, all that remains of the station is the light tower. The remains of the foundation(s) of the keeper’s house and outbuildings are still visible; the tower is in disrepair. However, this station was one of the few where the children of lighthouse keepers attended school on the island for the earlier grades. This light can be reached only by boat or air. Nash Island, only half of which is owned by the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, has a non-functioning lighthouse which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse is maintained by the Friends of Nash Island Light.
Moose Peak Light A lighthouse on the east point of Mistake Island, about five miles south of Jonesport, was authorized by President John Quincy Adams in 1825. The first light was completed in 1827 and fitted
Nash Island Light PHOTO COURTESY MAINE COASTAL ISLANDS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE/ FRIENDS OF MAINE’S SEABIRD ISLANDS
with a second-order Fresnel lens in 1856. The present 57-foot brick tower was built in 1887. In 1901 the original keeper’s house was replaced and connected to the lighthouse by a walkway. Moose Peak Light was the the foggiest station on the Maine Coast. A fog signal was installed in 1912 and during the period from 1918 to 1934, the keepers recorded that the island averaged 1,607 hours of fog per year, or about 20 percent of the time. The light was automated in 1972 and the Fresnel lens removed. In 1982 the keeper’s house was blown up as a military training exercise. The exercise also damaged panes in the lighthouse lantern. Although in clear weather the light can be seen distantly from Great Wass Island, it is best viewed by boat or air. Directions: In Jonesport at the “Bridge Street” and “Beal’s Island” signs turn off Route 187 onto the bridge to Beal’s Island. On the island, turn left and continue on Great Wass Road across Beal’s Island to the road’s end on Great Wass Island. Walk to the top of the rocky knoll or walk along the shore to the point; Moose Peak light can be seen in the distance, to the east, in the V-shaped part of the island.
Libby Island Light On the southern tip of the island, the light marks the southern entrance to Machias Bay and was known for many years as Machias Light. The light was built originally in 1817, rebuilt in 1824 and is the easternmost lighthouse in the United States. Heavy fogs often engulf this area. Libby Island is on the National Register of Historic Places, has a granite tower that was built in 1822 and a brick fog signal building built in 1884. •
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Bold Coast
© 2013 - Wes Shaw, Business Location Maps
Machias Seal Island Light Twelve miles off the coast from Cutler, this light station is maintained by the Canadian government although it is in Maine waters. Canadian lightkeepers man the light due to a question of sovereignty, with both Canada and the United States claiming the two islands and surrounding waters. The island is home to a large puffin colony and other sea birds. Charter trips to view the light and the puffins are available from Cutler and Jonesport.
Little River Light This light, built originally in 1847 and rebuilt in 1876, is located at the mouth of Little River at the entrance to Cutler Harbor. In addition to marking the entrance to the harbor, this lighthouse was intended as an intermediate mark between West Quoddy Head to the north and Machias Seal Island to the southeast but is now inactive. On the seaward side of a wooded, offshore island, this lighthouse can be seen only by boat or from the air. The lighthouse is owned by the American Lighthouse
Foundation and cared for it its local chapter, Friends of Little River Lighthouse, who open the light tower and keeper’s house at various times during the season.
West Quoddy Head Light Located on the easternmost point in the continental United States, the red and white striped lighthouse marks the southwest entrance to Quoddy Channel. In 1806 a group of concerned citizens chose West Quoddy Head as a suitable place for a lighthouse to aid mariners coming into
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West Quoddy Head Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO the west entrance to Quoddy Roads between the mainland and Campobello Island. The first rubblestone lighthouse was built there two years later by order of Thomas Jefferson. West Quoddy Head light received one of the nation’s first fog bells in 1820. The keeper was required to strike the bell by hand in foggy weather, a frequent occurrence in the nearby Bay of Fundy. For his trouble, Congress in 1827 allotted the keeper an additional $60 annually. The lighthouse may have been rebuilt in 1853, but was not long standing; the present 49-foot brick tower was erected in 1858 and a third-order Fresnel lens was installed. A one-and-a-half-story Victorian keeper’s house was built in that same year; in 1869 a trumpet fog whistle replaced the earlier bells. The light was automated in 1988 and is now part of Quoddy Head State Park; grounds are open to the public with trails along the shore and to the lighthouse. The “west” in West Quoddy Head, refers to its location west of East Quoddy Head in nearby New Brunswick, Canada. Directions: From Route 1 at Whiting, turn onto Route 189 and continue for about four miles. Turn right onto South Lubec/Boot Cove Road (marked with
a Quoddy Head State Park sign) and continue to a fork in the road, again marked with Quoddy Head State Park. Bear left and continue on to the park and light station. At the entrance to the station turn right onto the road leading to the parking area. A short trail to the left leads to the light; other trails to the right offer views of the light, cliffs and islands.
Lubec Channel Light
half a mile; it also can be seen from Route 189 crossing into Canada. Also, there are boat tours out of Lubec that afford closer views.
Whitlocks Mill Light The lighthouse is located on the south bank of the St. Croix River at Calais and is the northernmost light. The light was automated in 1968 and the keeper’s house is now privately owned. •
Built in 1890, this light is on the west side of the Lubec Channel at Lubec. It is often referred to as the “Spark Plug.” In 1989 the Coast Guard announced plans to abandon the tower, moving the optic and lantern to a shore location, rather than afford the estimated $1 million in needed repairs. However, efforts by concerned Lubec residents and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission enabled the light to be restored at a cost of about $700,000. Directions: Turn off Route 1 at Whiting onto Route 189 to Lubec. Continue about four miles, then turn right onto South Lubec, Boot Cove Road (marked with a Quoddy Head State Park sign). The light can be seen to the left at about one-third to one-
Whitlocks Mill Light BOB TRAPANI JR. PHOTO
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Lighthouses
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