Grindel Point Light

Grindel Point Light is a lighthouse in Islesboro, Maine, marking the west entrance to Gilkey Harbor at the westernmost point of the eponymous island. The light station was established in 1850, and the present tower and keeper's house were built in 1874. The station was deactivated in 1934 and reactivated in 1987. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.[3] The keeper's house now houses the Grindel Point Sailor's Museum and the lighthouse tower is open for tours in the summer.

Grindel Point Light
Grindel Point Light
LocationFerry Rd., Islesboro, Maine
Coordinates44°16′53.151″N 68°56′34.997″W
Year first constructed1850
Year first lit1874 (current structure)
Automated1934
Deactivated1934-1987
Tower shapeSquare Tower
Markings / patternWhite
Tower height12 metre 
Focal height39 feet (12 m)
Original lens5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8 inches (250 mm)
Range4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi)
CharacteristicFl G 4s
Fog signalBell originally
None now
Admiralty numberJ0090
ARLHS numberUSA-356
USCG number1-4405[1][2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Grindel Point Light Station
Built1874
NRHP reference No.87000427[3]
Added to NRHPMarch 13, 1987

Description and history

The town of Islesboro occupies an eponymous island in Penobscot Bay, on the central Maine coast. The island is roughly shaped as two lobes joined by a narrow isthmus. The westernmost point of the island, called Grindel's (or "Grindel's") Point, is located at the southern tip of a peninsula extending southwest from the southern lobe. The light stands to the west of Ferry Road, near the wharf serving the ferry connecting Islesboro to the mainland at Lincolnville. The lighthouse is a short tapered square brick structure, topped by a lantern house surrounded by a metal deck with rounded railing. A covered passageway, slightly below ground level, connects the tower to the keeper's house, a rectangular wood frame structure with a gable roof. Just northwest of the house stands a wooden boathouse, and a small brick oilhouse stands further north.[4]

The light station was authorized by the United States Navy in 1849, and the first tower and keeper's house were completed the following year. These brick structures were deemed beyond repair in 1874, and the present station was built on the foundations of the old one. The title name is the official USCG name[2] and is derived from the name of the second lightkeeper, Francis Grindel.[5] The USCG History site calls it "Grindel Point".[1] The United States Coast Guard planned to automate the light as early as 1923. After public resistance delayed this, the Coast Guard in 1934 mounted a new light on a steel tower nearby in 1934.[4] The town of Islesboro bought the light for $1,200 and established the Sailors' Memorial Museum there. After considerable public pressure, the Coast Guard reestablished the light in 1987.

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. United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 39.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. "NRHP nomination for Grindel Point Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-10-11.
  5. "Maine Tourism: Grindel Point Lighthouse". ALLTrips Travel Guides. 2009-08-13.
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