Pemaquid Point Light

Pemaquid Point Light

Pemaquid Point Light
Location	Pemaquid Point, entrance to Muscongus Bay, Bristol, Maine
Coordinates	43°50′13.03″N 69°30′21.77″W / 43.8369528°N 69.5060472°W / 43.8369528; -69.5060472Coordinates: 43°50′13.03″N 69°30′21.77″W / 43.8369528°N 69.5060472°W / 43.8369528; -69.5060472
Year first constructed	1827
Year first lit	1857 (current tower)
Automated	1934
Foundation	Natural Emplaced
Construction	Rubble stone and concrete
Tower shape	conical
Markings / pattern	white with black lantern
Focal height	79 feet (24 m)
Original lens	Fourth order Fresnel lens
Range	14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi)
Characteristic	Flashing white 6 s
Fog signal	none
USCG number	1-5145[1][2]
Pemaquid Point Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built	1835
Governing body	U.S. Coast Guard
NRHP Reference #	85000843[3]
Added to NRHP	April 16, 1985

The Pemaquid Point Light is a historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Lincoln County, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Neck.

History

The lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams and built that year. Due to poor workmanship (salt water was used in the mortar mix), the lighthouse began to crumble and was replaced in 1835. The second contract for the construction stipulated that only fresh water be used. Keeper Isaac Dunham oversaw the construction and wrote in a letter to the US Lighthouse Establishment that the agreement was upheld and the work went well.

The original light was an Argand-Lewis parabolic reflector, lit with candles and with a visibility of 2 miles (3.2 km). Augustin Fresnel invented a superior way of focusing light in the early 1850s and most lighthouses in the US were converted to the Fresnel Lens, with Pemaquid Point receiving a fourth order Fresnel in 1856. The lens is one of only six Fresnel lenses still in service in Maine.^[4] The keeper's house was built in 1857.

Marcus A. Hanna, the only man ever awarded both the Medal of Honor (earned during Civil War for bravery on July 4, 1863 ^[5]) and the Gold Lifesaving Medal (for rescuing life on January 28, 1885 at Cape Elizabeth, once served as keeper of the light. The station was automated in 1934.

By popular vote of Maine residents, the lighthouse was chosen to be featured on the Maine quarter, the 23rd in the 50 State Quarters Program issued by the U.S. Mint. Also depicted is a 3-masted schooner intended to resemble the Victory Chimes. Exposed bedrock descends from the lighthouse to the ocean creating a unique, scenic landscape. The geological history of these formations dates back hundreds of millions of years. These imposing structures have made this lighthouse with its setting one of the most photographed on the Maine coast.

In addition to the image found on the state quarter, an image of Pemaquid Point lighthouse is featured as a possible background in Windows 7.

The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation.

The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Pemaquid Point Light on April 16, 1985, reference number 85000843.

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park

The Bristol Parks and Recreation Department operates the lighthouse and outbuildings as Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park.

The keeper's house is now the Fishermen’s Museum at Pemaquid, which contains displays and artifacts of the lighthouse and local maritime history. Opened in 2008, the Learning Center is a community resource for offering movies, classes and concerts.^[6]

Other activities in the park include viewing the lighthouse, picnicking, and viewing local paintings at the Pemaquid Art Gallery.

List of Light Keepers

(Keeper; Date Appointed):

Gallery

• 

  Pemaquid Point Lighthouse as seen from coast, Bristol, Maine

• 

  Pemaquid Point Light Station Sign, Bristol, Maine, USA 2012

• 

  Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

• 

  The bellhouse originally contained a bell and a weight-driven mechanism to ring it. The small tower contained the weight.

• 

  A diagram of the bellhouse and its mechanism displayed on the wall inside the bellhouse.

• 

  The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse as depicted on the Maine state quarter

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.

• Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park
• The Fishermen's Museum at Pemaquid
• Bristol Lighthouse Committee

v t e Lighthouses of Maine 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 Island 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 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