The Marshall Point Lighthouse is located at Port Clyde, ME. The light stands at the southern tip of the St. George Peninsula and marks the east side of the entrance to Port Clyde Harbor. This light station was established in 1832 following the construction of a 19-foot rubble tower and attached keeper's dwelling. In 1857, the original lighthouse had to be taken down before it collapsed. Due to using the wrong kind of mortar, field-stones used in construction of the tower could not be held in place. In 1858,this replacement tower was built 24-feet high and located at the water's edge. The tower's base was fashioned of granite blocks and the upper half made of brick. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the lantern room. A wooden walkway, supported by granite footings, was built to connect the tower to the shore . At the time of my visit here in 1997, this light was active and the fixed white light in the lantern room shined from 29 1/2 feet above the sea.
The Marshall Point station was automated in 1971, and in 1980 the old keeper's quarters were boarded up and abandoned. The building fell into disrepair. Later in 1987, the St. George Historical Society assumed responsibility for overseeing the building's restoration. This group opened the lower portion of the old quarters in 1990 as the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum.
2 comments:
Hi Al,
We visited the Pemaquid Lighthouse in Maine last week. It's not as pretty as most of the ones you have blogged about, but it was very interesting. Four people at a time were allowed to scale the narrow steps to the top and stand on a very tiny landing. The decline was a bit trickier than climbing the stairs. Wish we had taken the time to explore more of the Maine coastline for lighthouses. Because of your blog, I even knew what a Fresnel lens was.
Hi Judy;
Glad to hear you had a good time visiting the Pemaquid Lighthouse in Maine. Visiting a lighthouse and climbing the steps gives you a better feel of what the light keepers went through on a daily basis to maintain the light. I know my blog has enabled many people to see lighthouses that they would not be able to otherwise visit, but a personal visit is much better.
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