Pemaquid Point Light

Infobox_Lighthouse


caption = Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
location = Entrance to Muscongus Bay
coordinates = coord|43|50|13.03|N|69|30|21.77|W|region:US_type:landmark
yearbuilt = 1835
yearlit = 1835 (current tower)
automated = 1934
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Natural Emplaced
construction = Rubble stone and concrete
shape = conical
marking = white with black lantern
height = 39 feet tall height of focail plane is 79 feet
elevation =
lens = Argand lamps
currentlens =
intensity =
range = 14 nm
characteristic = Flashing white 6 s

The Pemaquid Point Light Station is an historic U.S. lighthouse located in Bristol, Maine, at the tip of the Pemaquid Peninsula.

History

The lighthouse was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams and built that year. Due to poor workmanship (easily available 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. 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 keeper's house was built in 1857.

By popular vote of Maine residents, the lighthouse was chosen to be featured on the [http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/50sq_program/states/index.cfm?flash=yes&state=me 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 [http://www.maine.gov/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/bedrock/sites/jul02.htm 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.

The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and is licensed to the [http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/pemaquidpoint/pemaquid_info.htm American Lighthouse Foundation] . The keeper's house is now a Fishersman's Museum. Maintained by the [http://www.bristolparks.org/lighthouse.htm Bristol Parks and Recreation Department] , it contains displays and artifacts of the lighthouse and local maritime history.

Historical Information from Coast Guard web site

The United States Government established the original Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, about 1/3 of a mile from Pemaquid Point at the entrance to Muscongus Bay. President John Quincy Adams ordered the original structure built in 1827. Later, in 1857, President James Buchanan ordered the light reconstructed. The current structure is a white, pyramidal tower, 34 feet high and exhibiting its light at 79 feet above sea level. Marcus A. Hanna, the only man ever awarded both the Medal of Honor (earned during Civil War for bravery on July 4, 1863 [http://www.army.mil/cmh/mohciv.htm] ) and the Gold Lifesaving Medal (for rescuing life on 28 January 1885 at Cape Elizabeth [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/awards/28%20JAN%201885.html] ), once served as keeper of the light. The station became automated in 1934.

List of Light Keepers

(Keeper; Date Appointed):

*Isaac Dunham: 3 November 1827
*Nathaniel Gammage, Jr.: 13 June 1837
*Robert Curtis: 31 July 1849
*Samuel C. Tibbetts: 9 April 1853
*John Fossett: 12 February 1858
*J. Lawler: 29 March 1861
*Marcus A. Hanna: 30 July 1869
*William L Sartell: 31 July 1873
*Charles A. Dolliver: 28 September 1883
*Clarence E. Marr: 16 August 1899
*Leroy S. Ewell: 1 July 1922

Gallery