Goat Island Light

Goat Island Light is a lighthouse located off Cape Porpoise near Kennebunkport in southern Maine. Goat Island Light was established in 1835 to guard the entrance to Cape Porpoise Harbor. The original station was upgraded in 1859 to the current brick tower with a fifth order Fresnel lens. Keeper's quarters were added to the island in 1860. The light station was automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1990 and is currently active. The keepers dwellings and tower are leased to the Kennebunkport Conservation Trust.[3] Goat Island Light can be seen from shore in Cape Porpoise Harbor just off State Route 9 north of Kennebunkport or is viewable by boat. The island is currently closed to the public except by special arrangement.

This article is about the lighthouse in Maine. For the lighthouse on Goat Island in Newport, Rhode Island, see Newport Harbor Light.
Goat Island Light
Goat Island Light from Cape Porpoise
LocationGoat Island, Cape Porpoise harbor
Coordinates43°21′28″N 70°25′30″W
Year first constructed1835
Year first lit1859 (current tower)
Automated1990
FoundationNatural, emplaced
ConstructionBrick
Tower shapeCylindrical
Markings / patternWhite with black lantern
Tower height7.5 metre 
Focal height38 feet (12 m)
Original lens5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens12 inches (300 mm)
Range12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
CharacteristicFlashing white 6s.
Fog signalHORN: 1 every 15s
Admiralty numberJ0218
ARLHS numberUSA-325
USCG number1-105[1][2][3]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Goat Island Light Station
Nearest cityCape Porpoise, Maine
Built1859
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPSLight Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No.87002268[4]
Added to NRHPMarch 23, 1988

Description and history

The coast of southern Maine east of the Kennebunk River is studded with a group of small islands and rock ledges near the headland called Cape Porpoise. Goat Island is a treeless outer island, about 7.7 acres (3.1 ha) in size. The lighthouse is set on the island's southern shore, with the keeper's house a short way to its north. A boathouse and dock stand and the western end of the island, with a small brick oil house between it and the tower.[5]

The present tower is a circular brick structure, with the lantern 25 feet (7.6 m) above ground level. The lantern house presently houses a fifth order Fresnel lens. A metal walkway and railing surround the lantern house, and there is a single window in the tower. A small workroom with two doors projects from the tower. The keeper's house is an L-shaped wood-frame structure, 1-1/2 stories in height, with clapboard siding replacing its original board-and-batten siding. The roof is pierced by dormers, also a later alteration. It was originally joined to the tower by a covered walkway. The boathouse is a simple rectangular single-story structure with a gable roof and clapboard siding. The oil house is a small brick structure with a gable roof that has a vent at one end.[5]

Goat Island Light was authorized in 1833 as an aid to navigation for reaching the harbor at Cape Porpoise. The first tower built was 20 feet (6.1 m) in height; the present tower and keeper's house were built in 1859. The boathouse was built in 1905.[5]

  • Original 1835 tower, USCG photo
  • 1859 tower, USCG photo

See also

References
  1. United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 67.
  2. Rowlett, Russ (2009-10-09). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  3. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. "NRHP nomination for Goat Island Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
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