Baker Island Light

Year Built

1828

Cost

$2,500

Type

Cylindrical

Height

43 feet

Location

Baker Island

Automated Year

1966

First Lit

1855 (current structure)

Lens Type

Fourth-order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

November 1955, but was then reactivated in April 1957 as an unattended aid to navigation

Color

White

Last Keeper - Date

Bryant Clement (at least 1953)

Description

The present light station includes four buildings: the tower, keeper's house, oil house, and fuel house. The tower and keeper's house were both built in 1855, the oil house is a small brick structure built in 1895, and the fuel house is a small wood-frame structure built in 1905.

Brief History

•  The Baker Island station was established in 1828, and was the first along Maine's coast located in the general vicinity of Mount Desert Island.
•  From 1888 to 1892, Captain Howard P. Robbins served as keeper. One of his grandchildren, Howard Robbins, would go on to marry the daughter of Captain Vurney King, who would serve as keeper at Baker Island Lighthouse from around 1915 to at least 1930.
•  Baker Island Light was deactivated in November 1955, but was then reactivated in April 1957 as an unattended aid to navigation.
•  The buildings of the station are now owned and administered by Acadia National Park; the light itself is maintained by the United States Coast Guard.