Marshall Point Light

Marshall Point Light
Location 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
Year first constructed 1832
Year first lit 1858
Automated 1980
Foundation Granite blocks
Construction Granite and brick
Tower shape Cylindrical
Markings / pattern White with black lantern
Focal height 30 feet (9.1 m)
Original lens 5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens 12 inches (300 mm)
Range 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic fixed white
Fog signal 1898: Bell
1969: Horn, 1 every 10s
USCG number

1-4780[1][2]

Marshall Point Light Station
Nearest city Port Clyde, Maine
Area 5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built 1857
Architect US Army Corps of Engineers
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 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 reflectors.[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 12 inches (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]

Marshall Point Light before 1895 with original keeper's house 
The light and access bridge 
View from the access bridge 

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08.
  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. 42.
  3. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  4. 1 2 Jones, Ray; Bruce Roberts; Steve Torres (2005). New England Lighthouses: Maine to Long Island Sound. Globe Pequot. p. 42. ISBN 0-7627-3041-2.
  5. ↑ Curtis, Wayne; Tom Seymour (2006). Maine: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-7627-4053-1.
  6. ↑ Twin Lights Publishers; Jean Patey (2004). New England's Lighthouses: A Photographic Portrait. Twin Lights Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 1-885435-50-9.
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