Saddleback Ledge Light

Year Built

1839

Cost

$15,000

Type

Conical Granite Tower

Height

43 feet

Location

West of Isle au Hau

Automated Year

1954

First Lit

1839

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

Horn: every 10s

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Gray w/white base

Last Keeper - Date

Albert F. Osgood (1948 – 1951)

Description

The light station consists of a conical tower and topped by a ten-sided lantern house surrounded by an iron deck and railing. The interior of the tower has space for the keeper's quarters and supply storage.

Brief History

•  Watson Hopkins was hired as the first keeper, and he and his family resided in the tower.
•  In September 1843, one week after Keeper Hopkin’s wife, Abigail, gave birth at the station, she and their new baby, Margaret.
•  1855, the tower received a new lantern, and a fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed the following year.
•  In 1914, the illuminant was changed from oil to incandescent oil vapor.
•  In 2009, the lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was offered at no cost to eligible entities, including federal, state, and local agencies.