Bass Harbor Head Light

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Bass Harbor Head Light
Bass Harbor Head Light Station 2016.jpg
Bass Harbor Head Light
Location Tremont, Maine
Coordinates 44°13′18.5″N68°20′14.2″W / 44.221806°N 68.337278°W / 44.221806; -68.337278
Tower
Constructed1858  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
FoundationStone
ConstructionBrick
Automated1974
Height10 m (33 ft)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
ShapeCylindrical tower
MarkingsWhite with black marking
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Fog signal none
Light
First lit1858
Focal height56 feet (17 m)
LensFourth Order Fresnel lens
Range13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic Occulting red, 4s (Oc R 4s)
Bass Harbor Head Light Station
Nearest city Bass Harbor, Maine
Area2.5 acres (1.0 ha)
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPS Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP 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]

Contents

History

Bell at base of tower Bass Harbor U.S. Coast Guard Light House, ME - panoramio.jpg
Bell at base of tower

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 (1,800 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 (3.0 m) 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 (62 m) 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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "New England Lighthouses, A Virtual Guide: Bass Harbor Head Light". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Inventory of Historic Lighthouses: Maine Lighthouses". Archived from the original on December 8, 2006. Retrieved December 26, 2006.
  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.
  5. ↑ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Silverman, Irving (1998). The Historic Homes of the Town of Tremont... A Perspective In Time. Tremont, Maine: Tremont Historical Society. p. 7.
  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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