Prospect Harbor Point Light

Prospect Harbor Point Light is a lighthouse on Prospect Harbor Point, which divides Sand Cove from Inner Harbor at the head of Prospect Harbor on the southern shore of Gouldsboro, Maine.[2][3] Also known as Prospect Harbor Light, it was first established in 1850. The present structure was built in 1891. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Prospect Harbor Light Station in 1988.[1]

Prospect Harbor Point Light
Prospect Harbor Point Light
USCG photo of 1891 structure
LocationProspect Harbor, Maine
Coordinates44°24′11.7″N 68°0′46.4″W
Tower
Constructed1850 Edit this on Wikidata
Constructionlumber Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1951
Height11.5 m (38 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
ShapeConical Tower
MarkingsWhite
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalnone
Light
First lit1891 (current structure)
Deactivated1859-1870
Focal height42 feet (13 m)
Range9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi) & 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)
CharacteristicFl R 6s with 2 W sectors
Prospect Harbor Light Station
Nearest cityProspect Harbor, Maine
Built1891
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPSLight Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No.88000151[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 14, 1988

Description and history

The light station at Prospect Harbor was authorized by Congress in 1847 and went into operation in 1850. At that time Prospect Harbor was home to a significant fishing fleet. The light was deactivated in 1859, after the United States Lighthouse Board claimed it was not needed because the harbor was not used as a shelter during storms. It was reactivated in 1870. In 1891 the station was rebuilt; the present tower and keeper's house date to this period. The brick oil house was added in 1905. The light was automated in 1934,[4] but keepers remained on site until 1951, when its Fresnel lens was removed and replaced by modern optics. The station last underwent major restorative work in the early 2000s; it remains an active aid to navigation.[2]

The first tower built (in 1848) was a rubble-stone tower. This tower was replaced in 1891 by the present round wood-frame tower, which is 38 feet (12 m) in height and clad in wooden shingles. It is capped by a lantern house which is topped by a polygonal roof, and surrounded by a in iron walkway with railing. The door is on the north side, and there is a window on the west side. When built, a covered walkway joined the tower to the keeper's house, but this has been removed. The keeper's house is a two-story wood-frame structure, clad in shingles on the upper floor and clapboard on the first floor. A porch extends across part of its front, with four square posts and slatted balustrade. The roof of the porch is a continuation of the main roof, and is pierced by a gable-roof dormer. The keeper's house was heavily damaged in a June 27, 2022 fire, which was ruled accidental.[5][6]

The small brick oilhouse stands a short way north of the house and tower.[2][4]

  • USCG photo of 1850 structure
    USCG photo of 1850 structure

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  3. United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 19.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Prospect Harbor Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  5. "Officials: Building next to Maine lighthouse to likely be condemned after fire". June 27, 2022.
  6. "Fire officials rule cottage fire next to Prospect Harbor Lighthouse accidental".
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