Monhegan Island Light

Monhegan Island Light is a lighthouse on Monhegan Island, Maine. It was first established in 1824. The present structure was built in 1850.[4] It was Alexander Parris's last significant design. It is the second highest light in Maine — Seguin Light, with a 6-foot taller tower, is 2 feet higher in elevation.[1] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Monhegan Island Lighthouse and Quarters on May 7, 1980, reference number 80000239.[3]

Monhegan Island Light
Monhegan Island Light
LocationMonhegan Island, Maine
Coordinates43°45′53″N 69°18′57″W
Year first constructed1824 (1824)
Year first lit1850 (current structure)
Automated1959
FoundationSurface rock
ConstructionGranite blocks
Tower shapeCylindrical Tower
Markings / patternLt. List says White, but photos show unpainted light gray-brown granite
Tower height14 metre 
Focal height178 feet (54 m)
Current lensVRB-25
Range20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 15s
Fog signal1854: Bell
1870: Manana Island Sound Signal Station
USCG number1-20[1][2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Monhegan Island Lighthouse and Quarters
LocationMonhegan Island, Maine
Built1824
ArchitectAlexander Parris
NRHP reference No.80000239[3]
Added to NRHPMay 07, 1980

Description and history

Monhegan Island Light stands on a hill near the center of Monhegan Island. The lighthouse complex includes the tower, keeper's house, storage building, and oil house. The tower is a circular structure built out granite blocks with sloping walls, and is 47 feet (14 m) tall, with the lantern house mounted on top. A brick entry house, with gabled roof, is attached to the south side of the tower. The storage building is a single-story wood-frame structure, and the oil house is a small brick structure with a gabled roof. The keeper's house, now serving as the Monhegan Museum, is a 1-1/2 story wood frame building.[5]

The light station was authorized by Congress in 1822, and went into operation in 1824; the present tower dates to 1850. The light was automated in 1959, and is managed by remote control from the Manana Island Sound Signal Station.[5] (The latter station was administratively managed as part of the Monhegan Light Station from 1850 to 1874, and has been under separate administration since.)[6]

Monhegan Museum

The lighthouse building complex is now operated as the Monhegan Museum, with exhibits of the island's natural, social, industrial, cultural and artistic history. The lighthouse tower's light mechanism is still operated by the Coast Guard, but the Monhegan Museum owns the tower and opens it to the public on occasion each season.

See also

References
  1. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-06. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  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. 1.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. "Monhegan Island Lighthouse, Maine". The Museum's History: Lighthouse. Monhegan Museum. Archived from the original on 9 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  5. "NRHP nomination for Monhegan Island Lighthouse and Quarters". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
  6. "NRHP nomination for Manana Island Fog Signal Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
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