Bass Harbor Head Light

Bass Harbor Head Light
Location	Tremont, Maine
Coordinates	44°13′18.5″N 68°20′14.2″W / 44.221806°N 68.337278°W
Tower
Constructed	1858
Foundation	Stone
Construction	Brick
Automated	1974
Height	10 m (33 ft)
Shape	Cylindrical tower
Markings	White with black marking
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	none
Light
First lit	1858
Focal height	56 feet (17 m)
Lens	Fourth Order Fresnel lens
Range	13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic	Occulting red, 4s
	Bass Harbor Head Light Station
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	U.S. Historic district
Nearest city	Bass Harbor, Maine
Area	2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
Architect	US Army Corps of Engineers
MPS	Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No.	87002273
Added to NRHP	January 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 1885, 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

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

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[Virtual-2] "New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide: Bass Harbor Head Light". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2006.

[NPS.GOV-3] "Inventory of Historic Lighthouses: Maine Lighthouses". Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2006.

[cgll-4] 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.

[cghist-5] "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.

[Tremont-6] Silverman, Irving (1998). The Historic Homes of the Town of Tremont... A Perspective In Time. Tremont, Maine: Tremont Historical Society. p. 7.

[cgfl-7] "Classical Lenses in Operation" (PDF). US Coast Guard. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009.

[8] "Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse".

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v t e Lighthouses of Maine
Main: List of lighthouses in the United States
Avery Rock Light Baker Island Light Bass Harbor Head Light Bear Island Light Blue Hill Bay Light Boon Island Light Browns Head Light Burnt Coat Harbor Light Burnt Island Light Cape Elizabeth Lights Cape Neddick Light Crabtree Ledge Light The Cuckolds Light Curtis Island Light Deer Isle Thorofare Light Dice Head Light Doubling Point Light Doubling Point Range Lights Eagle Island Light Egg Rock Light Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal Fort Point Light Franklin Island Light Goat Island Light Goose Rocks Light Great Duck Island Light Grindel Point Light Halfway Rock Light Hendricks Head Light Heron Neck Light Indian Island Light Isle au Haut Light Ladies Delight Light Libby Island Light Little River Light Lubec Channel Light Machias Seal Island* Marshall Point Light Matinicus Rock Light Monhegan Island Light Moose Peak Light Mount Desert Light Narraguagus Light Nash Island Light Owls Head Light Pemaquid Point Light Perkins Island Light Petit Manan Light Pond Island Light Portland Breakwater Light Portland Head Light Prospect Harbor Point Light Pumpkin Island Light Ram Island Light Ram Island Ledge Light Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light Saddleback Ledge Light Saint Croix River Light Seguin Light Spring Point Ledge Light Squirrel Point Light Tenants Harbor Light Two Bush Island Light West Quoddy Head Light Whaleback Light Whitehead Light Whitlocks Mill Light Winter Harbor Light Wood Island Light
* Disputed territory claimed by Maine but de facto controlled by Canada

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Authority control databases
International	VIAF
Geographic	Structurae ARLHS Admiralty: J0054 MarineTraffic USCG: 1-2335

History

Viewing

Keepers

See also

References

External links