Avery Rock
| Avery Rock | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Machias Bay | |
| Geographical location | 44 ° 39 ′ N , 67 ° 21 ′ W | |
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| Residents | uninhabited | |
Avery Rock is a rocky island in the south of Machias Bay on the floor of the community of Machiasport in the US state of Maine .
history
The area of Machias Bay was already an important port for the fur trade in historical times, in the 19th century the bay was the location of an important timber trading center, which in the area of today's state of Maine was only surpassed by Bangor .
But it was not until 1874 that the decision was made to build another beacon on Avery Rock, which was only around 1,000 square meters in size , in addition to the lighthouse on Libby Island , which was built in 1823 . Due to the small footprint, the square tower was built as a roof attachment on the lighthouse keeper's house; the construction costs amounted to around 15,000 US dollars . Construction was delayed, in particular due to difficulties in transporting material and landing it on the island, so that the fifth-order Fresnel lens, which emits a white flashing light, was first illuminated on October 15, 1875.
The facility consisted of the caretaker's house, which comprised 6 rooms, and the lighthouse directly connected to it, an oil storage facility and a tower for the fog bell, which weighed 1,200 pounds (448 kilograms); the water supply was provided by two cisterns for receiving rainwater. The exposed location was due to the unusually thick brick walls (18 inches / 45.7 cm) and shutters (4 inches / 10.2 cm), and a landing on the bare rock was often not possible for weeks because of the storm.
The year 1902 brought a change to the lighting mechanism, from now on a fourth order Fresnel lens was used, which emitted a constant red light.
After a storm in January 1926, the decision was made to automate the operation of the lighthouse; this was implemented immediately. The year 1931 brought a reconstruction of the technical facilities.
A storm in 1946 caused irreversible damage to the lighthouse and the ancillary facilities; reconstruction was not considered for reasons of cost. Instead, a light buoy was installed about 100 meters from the location of the lighthouse.
tourism
No remains of the lighthouse are visible, boat trips to Avery Rock are possible.