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Bass Harbor Head, ME |
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Description:
The Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board in 1855 stated: "There is a very good harbor about four miles west of Mount Desert harbor, called Bass harbor. A light is necessary to assist vessels in entering it; and I recommend that $5,000 be appropriated for a light-house on Bass Harbor Head."
On September 1, 1858, John Thurston climbed the stairs in the tower, lighted the lamp in the Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse for the first time, and the beacon began guiding mariners into Bass Harbor and Blue Hill Bay. The lighthouse's white cylindrical tower is only 32 feet high, but its light is 56 feet above sea level thanks to the granite bluff on which it stands. Originally outfitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens, the lighthouse was upgraded in 1902 to a fourth-order lens. A red chimney was placed over the lamp inside the lens to produce a colored that that was visible for thirteen nautical miles. The original keeper’s dwelling was a 40 x 20 wooden structure connected to the tower by a covered 21-foot wooden walkway. The residence had two stories with five rooms, consisting of a kitchen, living room, and dining room on the ground floor, with two bedrooms upstairs. There was an outhouse about 50 feet away from the structure. In 1893, a boathouse with a 100-foot railway was added. A tall, pyramidal bell tower was added to the station in 1876, and then in 1897 a brick fog signal building was erected a few yards closer to the rocky cliff. A 4,000-pound fog bell was suspended outside the fog signal building. This mighty bronze bell was later replaced by an 1,800 pound version, and then in 1949, a 1,500 pound bell was mounted on a stand near the tower and electrified. A brick oil house was added in 1902, and the barn in 1905.
The lighthouse was automated in 1974 and remains an active aid to navigation. An occulting red light (four seconds on and four seconds off) is produced by an acrylic shroud that covers the Fresnel lens. Since automation, it has been the quarters for the Commander of the Coast Guard Group Southwest Harbor. The barn has since been converted into a garage to house the now preferred mode of transportation, but according to one coastguardsman chew-marks are still evident in the wood inside the garage. The grounds are open to the public, although the lighthouse itself is not. The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. References
Purchase prints and gifts featuring photographs on this page Location: Located south of Bass Harbor in Acadia National Park. Latitude: 44.22201 Longitude: -68.33725 For a larger map of Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: From Highway 1 at Ellsworth turn south on Highway 3, which leads to Acadia National Park. After just over nine miles you will cross a bridge onto Mount Desert Island. At this point Highway 3 will turn east to Bar Harbor, but continue straight on Highway 198 for 4.3 miles to Highway 102. Turn left on Highway 102 and drive for 8.6 miles passing through Southwest Harbor to Highway 102 Alternate. Take Highway 102 Alternate south for 1.6 miles passing through Bass Harbor. At this point Highway 102 Alternate will make a sharp turn to the east, but continue straight on Lighthouse Road to the lighthouse. To get a picture of the Bass Harbor Lighthouse from the water, you can take a cruise with Island Cruises out of Bass Harbor. The lighthouse is owned by the Coast Guard, with the dwelling being used by Coast Guard personnel. Grounds open, dwelling/tower closed. Find the closest hotels to Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse See our List of Lighthouses in Maine |
