Squirrel Point Light

Squirrel Point Light is a lighthouse marking the southwestern point of Arrowsic Island on the Kennebec River. It was established in 1898, as part of a major upgrade of the river's lights — the Doubling Point Light and the separate Range Lights on the point, Perkins Island Light, and Squirrel Point Light were all built at the same time. The light station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Squirrel Point Light Station on January 21, 1988.[4]

Squirrel Point Light
U.S. Coast Guard photo
LocationKennebec River, Maine
Coordinates43°48′59.483″N 69°48′8.572″W
Year first constructed1898 (1898)
Automated1979
Tower shapeOctagonal Wood Tower
Markings / patternWhite
Tower height7.5 metre 
Focal height25 feet (7.6 m)
Original lens5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens9.8 inches (250 mm)
RangeWhite 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi)
Red 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi)
CharacteristicIsophase Red 6s with W sector
Fog signalnone
Admiralty numberJ0156
ARLHS numberUSA-788
USCG number1-6100[1][2][3]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Squirrel Point Light Station
Nearest cityArrowsic, Maine
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPSLight Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No.87002281 [4]
Added to NRHPJanuary 21, 1988

Description and history

Arrowsic Island is a large island on the Mid Coast of Maine, bounded by a number of tidal rivers. The main one, the Kennebec River, is on the west side of the island, flowing south from the major port and shipbuilding city of Bath to the Gulf of Maine. Squirrel Point is the southwestern tip of the island. The light station at Squirrel Point includes a tower, keeper's house, barn, boathouse, and oil house. The tower is an octagonal wood-frame structure, with the lantern house topped by a ventilator and surrounded by an iron railing and wooden bracketed gallery. A gabled sound signal chamber is attached to one side. The keeper's house is a two-story wood frame structure with a cross-gable roof.[5]

The United States Congress authorized improvements to the aids to navigation on the Kennebec River in 1895, and this station was built under that authorization in 1898. The oil house was added in 1906, and the station was automated in 1982.[5]

  • Squirrel Point Light with keeper's quarters
  • From upriver
  • From downriver
  • The boathouse — The ridge is parallel to the ground, but the ends and the window are vertical
  • Daytime Squirrel Point Light with light on

See also

References
  1. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  2. Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 52.
  3. Rowlett, Russ (2009-10-09). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  5. Kirk Mohney (1977). "NRHP nomination for Squirrel Point Light Station". National Park Service. Retrieved 2016-06-17. with photos from 1987
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