Perkins Island Light
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Perkins Island Quick Facts
Year Station Established: 1898
Is the Light operational? Yes
Year Light First Lit: 1898
Year Automated: 1959
Shape: Octagonal
Tower Height: 23 ft.
Original Optic: 5th Order, Fresnel
Present Optic: 250mm
Existing Keepers Quarters? Yes
Year Constructed: 1898
Number of Stories: 2
Architectural Style: Victorian
Construction Materials: Wood
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Perkin's Island Light,
Near Georgetown, Maine
Click here for more Photos
(7 photos, 166KB total download)
History/Info:
Several aids to navigation were erected in the Kennebec River in 1898
to aid mariners headed for the shipbuilding center of Bath. A 23-foot
octagonal wooden tower, similar to those at Doubling Point and
Squirrel Point, was erected on seven-acre Perkins Island near the
mouth of the river. A two-story, six room keeper's house was built at
the same time, as was a small barn.
A boathouse, pyramidal wood frame bell tower (1902) and brick oil
house (1906) were added shortly after the turn of the century. A 1910
inspection reported a 1,000 fog bell in use.Perkins Island Light
originally had a fifth order Fresnel lens. The light was automated in
1959 and the lens was replaced by a modern 250 mm optic in 1979.
The fog bell was removed from the tower and is now on the grounds of
the Georgetown High School.
The light station, except for the tower itself, was transferred to the
State of Maine in the
1960s. In 1974 the Georgetown Conservation Commission ran a
short-lived Marine Awareness Program for high school students on the
island.
The Victorian keeper's house is in a state of severe disrepair. In
late 2000 a restoration of
the bell tower took place, funded by the Maine Department of
Conservation and a New Century Program Preservation Grant,
administered by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Local
resident Joshua Bate was the project foreman and volunteers from
around the state helped with the restoration.
Perkins Island Light remains an active aid to navigation. The
lighthouse itself was leased in
May 2000 to the American Lighthouse Foundation.
(Source:
American Lighthouse Foundation)
Latitude/Longitude: 43°47'N 69°47'W
Directions:
- The light can only be seen by boat. See the
Lighthouse Tours page at Cyberlights for
information on boat cruises in the Bath and Boothbay areas.
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