Whitehead Light

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Whitehead Light
Whitehead Lighthouse Maine.JPG
Whitehead Light
Location Penobscot Bay entrance, Maine
Coordinates 43°58′43.369″N69°7′27.397″W / 43.97871361°N 69.12427694°W / 43.97871361; -69.12427694 Coordinates: 43°58′43.369″N69°7′27.397″W / 43.97871361°N 69.12427694°W / 43.97871361; -69.12427694
Tower
Constructed1804
FoundationNatural / emplaced
ConstructionGranite
Height41 feet (12 m)
ShapeConical
MarkingsNatural
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Fog signal HORN: 2 every 30s
Light
First lit1852 (current structure)
Automated1982
Focal height75 feet (23 m)
Lens3rd order Fresnel lens (1855), 12 inches (300 mm), (1982)
Range6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)
Characteristic Oc G 4s
Whitehead Light Station
Location Whitehead Island, St. George, Maine
Area11.1 acres (4.5 ha)
Built1852
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPS Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No. 88000154 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 14, 1988

Whitehead Light is a lighthouse on Whitehead Island, on Muscle Ridge Channel, in the southwestern entrance to Penobscot Bay, Maine. It is in the town of St.George. Established in 1804, it is one of Maine's oldest light stations, with its present tower built in 1852 to a design attributed to Alexander Parris. [2] [3] [4] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Whitehead Light Station on March 14, 1988. [1] The property is now owned by not for profit Pine Island Camp. Whitehead light station offers to the public various stays at the light station from getaway weekends to learning retreats and renting the station as a vacation home. The light itself remains an active aid to navigation, maintained by the United States Coast Guard.

Contents

Description and history

Whitehead Island is a 90-acre (36 ha) island off the northeastern coast of St. George, near the southwestern approach to Penobscot Bay. In addition to the lighthouse complex, the island is also home to the former Whitehead Lifesaving Station, located near its southwestern point. The light station is located at the island's southeastern point, and includes the lighthouse, keeper's house, oilhouse, and a fog signal building. The tower is built out of cut granite blocks, rising to a sixteen-sided lantern house surrounded by an iron walkway and railing. A small brick service room projects from one side. Adjacent to the tower is the keeper's house, a 1-1/2 story wood frame structure with a gabled roof and a T-shaped configuration. The oilhouse is a small brick structure with a gabled roof and an entrance on one side. The fog signal is a square brick building with a hip roof. [5]

The light station on Whitehead Island was authorized in 1804 by President Thomas Jefferson, and went into service in 1807; it is the third-oldest active light station in the state of Maine. The present tower was built in 1852, its design attributed to Alexander Parris, on the basis of its similarity to the Monhegan Island Light, which is known to be Parris' work. The keeper's house is a replacement, built in 1891, the same year the oilhouse was built. The fog signal was added in 1869-70, a consequence of the area's frequent foggy conditions. The complex originally included covered ways between the major buildings, but these have been removed. The station was automated in 1982, [5] at which time the keeper's house was boarded up.

In 1996, as part of the Maine Lights Program, Whitehead Light Station became property of Pine Island Camp, a 100+ year old non profit institution in central Maine. Whitehead Light Station keepers house and school house were painstakingly renovated over a 12-year period and are now beautifully restored. The light station offers adult enrichment programs during the summer months and is also available for rent by the week. The house has 7 bedrooms each with its own bathroom, three sitting rooms, a modern kitchen and dining room.

Keepers

Source: [2]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  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. 41.
  4. Rowlett, Russ (2009-12-07). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. 1 2 Kirk Mohney (1987). "NRHP nomination for Whitehead Light". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-07-17. with photos from 1987