Monhegan Island Light

Year Built

1824

Cost

$3,000

Type

Cylindrical Tower

Height

46 feet

Location

Monhegan Island

Automated Year

1959

First Lit

1850 (current structure)

Lens Type

Second order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

1854: Bell - 1870: Manana Island Sound Signal Station

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Unpainted light gray-brown granite

Last Keeper - Date

Davey Blount, Jr. (1957-1960)

Description

The lighthouse complex includes the tower, keeper's house, storage building, and oil house.

Brief History

•  May 7, 1822, and later that year, Josiah and Mary Starling sold a parcel of land at the summit of Lookout Hill (now Lighthouse Hill), the highest point on the island, to the U.S. government for $100.
•  By 1842, the lighthouse had developed some serious problems. The lantern was leaky and often iced over on the inside during the winter.
•  On March 4, 1911, Congress appropriated $10,000 for improving both the light and fog-signal station.
•  In 1959, steps were taken to automate Monhegan Island Lighthouse.
•  In 2013, Manan Island Fog Signal Station, which included the 1855 keeper’s dwelling, and the 1889 brick fog signal house, was auctioned off by the General Services Administration.