Pemaquid Point Light
| Pemaquid Point Light | ||
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| Place: |
 United States , Lincoln County
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| Location: | Southern tip of the Pemaquid Neck peninsula | |
| Geographical location: | 43 ° 50 '13.2 " N , 69 ° 30' 21.6" W | |
| Fire carrier height : | 11.6 m | |
| Fire height : | 24 m | |
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| Identifier : | Fl.W.6s | |
| Scope knows: | 14 nm (25.9 km ) | |
| Optics: | Fresnel lens | |
| Operating mode: | electric | |
| Construction time: | 1826-1827 | |
| Operating time: | since 1827 | |
Pemaquid Point Light is one of the oldest lighthouses in the state of Maine , located in the city of Bristol in Lincoln County . He is considered a symbol of the state and represents it in the State Quarter of 2003.
location
The lighthouse is located at the southern tip of the Pemaquid Neck about 500 meters west of the entrance to Muscongus Bay . Erected in an exposed position at the tip of this cape on a granite cliff, it watches over one of the stormiest sections of the Atlantic coast. The rock sloping towards the sea was planed off in striking shapes during the Ice Age .
history
In 1826, Congress decided to provide $ 4,000 for the construction of a lighthouse in the central Maine coastline . The farmer Samuel Martin sold the necessary land for 90 dollars, the entrepreneur Jeremiah Berry from Thomaston was entrusted with the construction, but probably used seawater for the mortar , which meant that the building had to be demolished in 1835. The first lighthouse, built in the summer of 1827 and 29 feet (8.8 meters) high, initially emitted its light over 2 nautical miles with the help of a mirror and candles .
The successor building, the construction of which was supervised by the lighthouse keeper Isaac Dunham, who had been obliged to pay an annual salary of $ 350 since 1827, followed the building regulations and was carried out by the contractor Joseph Berry from Georgetown .
However, on the instructions of President James Buchanan , a fundamental reconstruction took place in 1856. Here took place the replacement of the original lighting by a four-stage Fresnel lens , the house of the lighthouse keeper, who had initially consisted of rubble, was in skeleton construction rebuilt on wood base.
| Surname | Period |
|---|---|
| Isaac Dunham | 1827-1837 |
| Nathaniel Gamage | 1837-1841 |
| Jeremiah Mears | 1841-1845 |
| Ephraim Tibbets | 1845-1849 |
| Robert Curtis | 1849-1853 |
| Samuel Tibbets | 1853-1858 |
| John Fossett | 1858-1861 |
| Joseph Lawler | 1861-1869 |
| Marcus Hanna | 1869-1873 |
| William Sartell | 1873-1883 |
| Charles Dolliver | 1883-1899 |
| Clarence Marr | 1899-1922 |
| Herbert Robinson | 1922–192? |
| Leroy Elwell | 192? -1934 |
The year 1897 saw the construction of a steam-powered fog bell, but as early as 1899 the steam engine was replaced by a hand-wound clockwork mechanism, the outbuilding originally built as an oil store and machine house now served to accommodate the counterweights.
One of the first lighthouses in Maine, the Pemaquid Point Light was automated in 1934. The city of Bristol acquired the site - with the exception of the lighthouse, which remained the property of the US Coast Guard - in 1940 and from 1972 built the Fishermen's Museum and a holiday home in the lighthouse keeper's house.
On April 16, 1985, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a monument .
Two storms destroyed the Nebelglocke house and the outbuilding in 1991, both of which were faithfully rebuilt the following year. In May 2000 the American Lighthouse Foundation was given responsibility for the lighthouse, and in 2002 it was repainted by volunteers from the New England Lighthouse Lovers, the local section of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
In 2007, the building was reconstructed, and a large part of the necessary sum of 134,000 dollars was raised through donations.
Shipping accidents
- 1635 "Angel Gabriel" - 5 dead, around 100 survivors
- 1903 "George F. Edmunds" - 13 dead, 2 survivors
- 1903 unknown ship - 1 dead,
number of survivors unknown - 1930 unknown ship - 0 dead, 3 survivors
building
The conical tower, last painted white in 2007, is 38 feet (11.6 meters) high and has a black lantern. The fourth-order Fresnel lens emits a flashing white light visible for over 14 nautical miles at 79 feet above sea level.
tourism
“Pemaquid Point Light […] is the delight of artists, photographers, and tourists. Pemaquid Point itself entrances both land and water visitors by the fascinating northwest-southeast varied veins of rock formation that look for all the world as if great giants had 'pulled taffy' while the rocks were in a molten condition. ”
“Pemaquid Point Light […] is the joy of artists, photographers and tourists. Pemaquid Point itself enchants tourists from land and sea with the fascinating, northwest-southeast-running ribs of rock that look to the world as if big giants had 'pulled toffee' when the rock melted. "
With more than 100,000 visitors annually, Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is one of the most visited lighthouses in the United States. Access is from US Highway 1 from Damariscotta on Route 130. The lighthouse and museum are accessible daily between Memorial Day and Columbus Day, weather permitting. In addition to the lighthouse and museum, the gallery run by the Pemaquid Group of Artists is a major attraction.
Trivia
While several weddings take place on the premises every year, only one child - Susie Lawler (* 1868) - daughter of the lighthouse keeper Joseph Lawler and his wife Sophronia was born here.
Web links
- American Lighthouse Foundation website
- US Coast Guard side
- Map of the area
- Angel Gabriel's passenger list ( memento from January 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 13, 2016