Marshall Point Light Station

Marshall Point Light

Location	Port Clyde, Maine
Year first constructed	1832
Year first lit	1857
Automated	1980
Foundation	Granite blocks
Construction	Granite and brick
Tower shape	Cylindrical
Markings / pattern	White with black lantern
Focal height
Original lens	5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens	300 mm
Range	13nm
Characteristic	fixed white
Fog signal	1898: Bell 1969: Horn, 1 every 10s
USCG number	1-4780 [1] [2]
Marshall Point Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Nearest city:	Port Clyde, Maine
Coordinates:	43°55′2.718″N 69°15′40.568″W / 43.91742167°N 69.26126889°W / 43.91742167; -69.26126889Coordinates: 43°55′2.718″N 69°15′40.568″W / 43.91742167°N 69.26126889°W / 43.91742167; -69.26126889
Area:	5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built:	1857
Architect:	US Army Corps of Engineers
Governing body:	COAST GUARD
MPS:	Light Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP Reference#:	87002262 [3]
Added to NRHP:	March 23, 1988

Marshall Point Light Station is a lighthouse at the entrance of Port Clyde Harbor in Port Clyde, Maine. The light station was established in 1832.

History

Marshall Point Light before 1895 with original keeper's house

Marshall Point Light Station was established in 1832 to assist boats entering and leaving Port Clyde Harbor. The original lighthouse was a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower lit by seven lard oil lamps with 14 inch refelctors.^[1]

The original tower was replaced with the present lighthouse in 1857. The lighthouse is a 31-foot (9.4 m) tall white brick tower on a granite foundation. The tower was originally lit with a 5th order Fresnel lens. A raised wooden walkway connects the tower to land.^[1]

In 1895, the original keeper's house was destroyed by lightning. A Colonial Revival style house was built to replace it. An oil house and a bell tower with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bell were added in 1898. The bell was replaced with a fog horn in 1969.^[1]

The lighthouse was automated in 1980 and the original Fresnel lens was replaced with a modern 300 mm optic.^[4] The original lens is at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland. In 1986, the St. George Historical Society restored the keeper's house and established the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum there, presenting the histories of Marshall Point Light and other nearby lighthouses.^[4] The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.^[3]

The lighthouse appeared in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.^[5]

The light station was transferred to the town of St. George in 1998 under the Maine Lights Program. The fog signal has been dismantled but the bell remains on display.^[1][6]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMA.asp. 
2. ^ (PDF) Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 42. http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pdf/lightLists/LightList%20V1.pdf. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Ray; Bruce Roberts, Steve Torres (2005). New England Lighthouses: Maine to Long Island Sound. Globe Pequot. p. 42. ISBN 0762730412. http://books.google.com/books?id=AXhqkqTXqsYC&pg=PA42&dq=%22Marshall+Point+Light%22. 
5. ^ Curtis, Wayne; Tom Seymour (2006). Maine: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0762740531. http://books.google.com/books?id=2gAy6ECvQtkC&pg=PA97&dq=%22Marshall+Point+Light%22. 
6. ^ Twin Lights Publishers; Jean Patey (2004). New England's Lighthouses: A Photographic Portrait. Twin Lights Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 1885435509. http://books.google.com/books?id=Ae9U_ZwoLzMC&pg=PA8&dq=%22Marshall+Point+Light%22+%22Maine+Lights%22http://books.google.com/books?id=Ae9U_ZwoLzMC&pg=PA8&dq=%22Marshall+Point+Light%22+%22Maine+Lights%22.