Bass Harbor Head Light

Bass Harbor Head Light
Location	Tremont, Maine
Coordinates	44°13′19″N 68°20′13″W / 44.222°N 68.337°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	17 m (56 ft)
Lens	Fourth Order Fresnel lens
Range	13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic	Occulting red, 4s

Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse 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.

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.^[1] 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.^[5]

In 1902, an oil storage house constructed of brick was built 205 feet northwest of the lighthouse.^[1]

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.^[1]

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)
Eugene L. Coleman (?)
Leverett Stanley (1940–1950)^[1]

Gallery

Entrance to the compound
Tourists by waters near the lighthouse
The lighthouse in 2008
The lighthouse in 2005

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide: Bass Harbor Head Light
^ Inventory of Historic Lighthouses: Maine Lighthouses
^ 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 2017-05-01.
^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ ^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. 2009-08-06.

External links

Photos of Bass Harbor Head Light - Library of Congress - Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record

[Virtual-1] New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide: Bass Harbor Head Light

[NPS.GOV-2] Inventory of Historic Lighthouses: Maine Lighthouses

[cgll-3] 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-4] "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.

[nris-5] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[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. 2009-08-06.

[1]

[6]

[5]

[7]

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

v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Topics	Architectural style categories Contributing property Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places Keeper of the Register National Park Service Property types
Lists by state	List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Lists by insular areas	American Samoa Guam Minor Outlying Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Virgin Islands
Lists by associated state	Federated States of Micronesia Marshall Islands Palau
Other areas	District of Columbia American Legation, Morocco
Related	National Historic Preservation Act Historic Preservation Fund List of jails and prisons on the National Register of Historic Places University and college buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places portal Category