Bass Harbor Head Light

Lighthouse on Mount Desert Island, Maine, US

Lighthouse

44°13′18.5″N 68°20′14.2″W / 44.221806°N 68.337278°W / 44.221806; -68.337278TowerConstructed1858

FoundationStoneConstructionBrickAutomated1974Height10 m (33 ft)

ShapeCylindrical towerMarkingsWhite with black markingHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place

Fog signalnoneLightFirst lit1858Focal height56 feet (17 m)LensFourth Order Fresnel lensRange13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)CharacteristicOcculting red, 4s

Bass Harbor Head Light Station

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

Nearest cityBass Harbor, MaineArea2.5 acres (1.0 ha)ArchitectUS Army Corps of EngineersMPSLight Stations of Maine MPSNRHP reference No.87002273^[1]Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1988

Bass Harbor Head Light is a lighthouse located within Acadia National Park in the southwest portion of Mount Desert Island, Maine, marking the entrance to Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

History

The history of Bass Harbor Head Light dates to 1855, when it was determined that there was sufficient reason for a lighthouse at the mouth of Bass Harbor. In 1855, the U.S. Congress appropriated $5,000 for construction of the lighthouse. In 1876, construction was completed on a fog bell and tower, since removed.^[2] A much larger 4,000-pound (1800 kg) bell was placed inside the tower in 1898.^[6] The house of the lightkeeper remains in its original configuration with the exception of a 10-foot addition that was added in 1900.^[6] The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Bass Harbor Head Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002273.^[1]

In 1902, an oil storage house constructed of brick was built 205 feet northwest of the lighthouse.^[2]

Bass Harbor's fifth order Fresnel lens was replaced in 1902 with a larger fourth order. This lens was manufactured by the French company Henry-Lepaute. This lens remains in service today.^[7]

Viewing

Today, the house is a private residence for a local Coast Guard member and his family. Tourists can get close to the bell and light via a concrete path, but most of the grounds remain private. There is a short walk which takes one to a series of wooden steps that lead down onto the many granite boulders that provide a great view of the harbor side of the lighthouse.^[2]

Keepers

John Thurston (1858–1861)
John Rick (1861–1865)
John Wilson (1865–1869)
Charles B. Gilley (1869–1872)
James L. Wilson (1872–1880)
C. F. Chase (1880–1890)
William T. Holbrook (1890–1894)
Willis Dolliver (1894–1912)
Joseph M. Gray (c.1921-1938)
Elmer Reed (1938–1940)
Leverett Stanley (1940–1950)^[2]
Eugene L. Coleman (1950–1955)^[8]
Morton M. Dyer (1955–1957)
Cecil A. Mareno (1960s)
Walter D. Moulton (U.S. Coast Guard, 1962–1963)

References

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide: Bass Harbor Head Light". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
^ "Inventory of Historic Lighthouses: Maine Lighthouses". Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 23.
^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Silverman, Irving (1998). The Historic Homes of the Town of Tremont... A Perspective In Time. Tremont, Maine: Tremont Historical Society. p. 7.
^ "Classical Lenses in Operation" (PDF). US Coast Guard. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009.
^ "Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse".

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bass Harbor Head Light.

Photos of Bass Harbor Head Light - Library of Congress - Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record^{[permanent dead link]}

Lighthouses of Maine

Main: List of lighthouses in the United States

* Disputed territory claimed by Maine but de facto controlled by Canada

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