Whitehead Light

Whitehead Light
Location Penobscot Bay entrance, Maine
Coordinates 43°58′43.369″N 69°7′27.397″W / 43.97871361°N 69.12427694°W / 43.97871361; -69.12427694Coordinates: 43°58′43.369″N 69°7′27.397″W / 43.97871361°N 69.12427694°W / 43.97871361; -69.12427694
Year first constructed 1807
Year first lit 1857 (current structure)
Foundation Natural / emplaced
Construction Granite
Tower shape Conical
Markings / pattern Natural
Height 41 feet (12 m)
Focal height 41 feet (12 m)
Original lens 3rd order Fresnel lens, 1855
Current lens 12 inches (300 mm), 1982
Range 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi)
Characteristic Oc G 4s
Fog signal HORN: 2 every 30s
USCG number

1-4580[1][2][3]

Whitehead Light Station
Location Whitehead Island, St. George, Maine
Area 11.1 acres (4.5 ha)
Built 1852
Architect US Army Corps of Engineers
MPS Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP Reference # 88000154[4]
Added to NRHP March 14, 1988
Heritage place listed on the National Register of Historic Places
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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 1807, it is one of Maine's oldest light stations, with its present tower built in 1852 to a design attributed to Alexander Parris. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Whitehead Light Station on March 14, 1988.[4] The property is now privately owned by Pine Island Camp, which conducts outings to the facility. The light itself remains an active aid to navigation, maintained by the United States Coast Guard.

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:[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ Rowlett, Russ (2009-12-07). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. 1 2 Kirk Mohney (1987). "NRHP nomination for Whitehead Light" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-07-17. with photos from 1987
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