Pemaquid Point Light
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located in Bristol
Bristol, Maine
Bristol is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,644 at the 2000 census. A fishing and resort area, Bristol includes the villages of New Harbor, Pemaquid, Round Pond, Bristol Mills and Chamberlain. It includes the Pemaquid Archeological Site, a U.S. National...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, at the tip of the Pemaquid Peninsula.
History
The lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was commissioned in 1827 by John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams was the sixth President of the United States . He served as an American diplomat, Senator, and Congressional representative. He was a member of the Federalist, Democratic-Republican, National Republican, and later Anti-Masonic and Whig parties. Adams was the son of former...
and built that year. Due to poor workmanship (salt water was used in the mortar mix), the lighthouse began to crumble and was replaced in 1835. The second contract for the construction stipulated that only fresh water be used. Keeper Isaac Dunham oversaw the construction and wrote in a letter to the US Lighthouse Establishment
United States Lighthouse Board
The United States Lighthouse Board was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States...
that the agreement was upheld and the work went well.
The original light was an Argand-Lewis parabolic reflector
Parabolic reflector
A parabolic reflector is a reflective device used to collect or project energy such as light, sound, or radio waves. Its shape is that of a circular paraboloid, that is, the surface generated by a parabola revolving around its axis...
, lit with candles and with a visibility of 2 miles. Augustin Fresnel invented a superior way of focusing light in the early 1850s and most lighthouses in the US were converted to the Fresnel Lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
, with Pemaquid Point receiving a fourth order Fresnel in 1856. The lens is one of only six Fresnel lenses still in service in Maine. The keeper's house was built in 1857.
Marcus A. Hanna
Marcus Hanna (lighthouse keeper)
Marcus Aurelius Hanna was an American lighthouse keeper famous for his heroism.-Biography:Hanna was born in Bristol, Maine, the son of the keeper of the Franklin Island Light. He spent his early years at the station before going off to sea at the age of ten. By 18 he had risen to the position of...
, the only man ever awarded both the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
(earned during Civil War for bravery on July 4, 1863 ) and the Gold Lifesaving Medal
Lifesaving Medal
The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are civil and military decorations of the United States Coast Guard which was first established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by Title 14 of the United States Code Section 500-501...
(for rescuing life on 28 January 1885 at Cape Elizabeth
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Cape Elizabeth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The town is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area...
, once served as keeper of the light. The station was automated in 1934.
By popular vote of Maine residents, the lighthouse was chosen to be featured on the Maine quarter, the 23rd in the 50 State Quarters Program issued by the U.S. Mint. Also depicted is a 3-masted schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
intended to resemble the Victory Chimes
Victory Chimes (schooner)
The three-masted schooner Victory Chimes, also known as Edwin and Maud or Domino Effect, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. The boat on the Maine State Quarter is meant to resemble the Victory Chimes....
. Exposed bedrock descends from the lighthouse to the ocean creating a unique, scenic landscape. The geological history of these formations dates back hundreds of millions of years. These imposing structures have made this lighthouse with its setting one of the most photographed on the Maine coast.
In addition to the image found on the state quarter, an image of Pemaquid Point lighthouse is featured as a possible background in Windows 7.
The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and is licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation.
The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Pemaquid Point Light on April 16, 1985, reference number 85000843.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park
The Bristol Parks and Recreation Department operates the lighthouse and outbuildings as Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Park.The keeper's house is now the Fishermen’s Museum at Pemaquid, which contains displays and artifacts of the lighthouse and local maritime history.
Opened in 2008, the Learning Center is a community resource for offering movies, classes and concerts.
Other activities in the park include viewing the lighthouse, picnicking, and viewing local paintings at the Pemaquid Art Gallery.
List of Light Keepers
(Keeper; Date Appointed):- Isaac Dunham: 3 November 1827
- Nathaniel Gammage, Jr.: 13 June 1837
- Robert Curtis: 31 July 1849
- Samuel C. Tibbetts: 9 April 1853
- John Fossett: 12 February 1858
- J. Lawler: 29 March 1861
- Marcus A. Hanna: 30 July 1869
- William L Sartell: 31 July 1873
- Charles A. Dolliver: 28 September 1883
- Clarence E. Marr: 16 August 1899
- Leroy S. Ewell: 1 July 1922