Eagle Island Light

Year Built

1838

Cost

$5,000

Type

Conical

Height

30 feet

Location

Penobscot Bay

Automated Year

1963

First Lit

1858

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White/Black Lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Wayne McGraw (1957 – 1959)

Description

The light-house was built of rubble masonry with a stone staircase, also a one-and-a-half-story rubblestone dwelling near the tower for the keeper.

Brief History

•  Congress allocated $5,000 for Eagle Island Lighthouse on March 3, 1837.
•  John Spear, who received an annual salary of $350, activated the light for the first time on September 28, 1838.
•  In 1932, during Keeper Bracey’s tenure, a 1,200-pound fog bell was suspended from a wooden, pyramidal tower and was struck by mechanical equipment every twenty seconds.
•  In 1963, the Coast Guard became alarmed at a rash of vandalism at other abandoned light stations in the area, and despite opposition from local residents, decided to burn down the keeper’s dwelling and all the other buildings besides the lighthouse and the bell tower.
•  Under the Maine Lights Program, the lighthouse was transferred to Eagle Light Caretakers. The station remains an active aid to navigation.