Tenants Harbor Light
Encyclopedia
Tenants Harbor Light, also known as Southern Island Light, is a lighthouse
at the mouth of Tenants Harbor, St. George, Maine
. It appears in paintings by Andrew Wyeth
and his son Jamie Wyeth
, who have owned the light house since 1978.
.
The light was 66 feet (20.1 m) above the high water mark. By the 1900s a fifth order Fresnel lens
replaced the original fourth order (larger) lens.
The 1½ story, wood-framed, colonial cape lighthouse keeper's residence was constructed in 1857. A brick covered passageway connects the tower and the keeper's quarters. Other buildings include a storage building (1895) an oil house (1906), a boathouse
, and a hand-operated fog bell in a square
pyramidal tower (automated subsequently).
The light was discontinued in 1933 and auctioned off as surplus in 1936.
. His son Jamie
now owns it. He reconstructed the white square pyramid bell house and uses it as a studio. The studio is said to be a scaled down replica of one of Lord Horatio Nelson's cabins on H.M.S. Victory. The lighthouse has appeared in several Wyeth paintings, including Fog Bell (1967) and Signal Flags by Andrew Wyeth. Other lighthouse images by James Wyeth are: Iris at Sea (painted as a fund raising project to benefit the Island Institute of Rockland); Lighthouse Dandelions; The Gaggle (1995) Southern Island Sunset (1995), and Lighthouse.
It is said that the light and the island were the subject of "dozens of paintings" by the Wyeths, some of which (from the personal collection of Andrew Wyeth and Betsy Jane Wyeth) are congregated at the Farnsworth Art Museum
in a special Wyeth collection, and part of the museum's periodically rotating shows.
Likewise, Jamie Wyeth has found the environs of Southern Island to be an inspiration for his art.
Since it is one of eight privately held lights in Maine, although owned by the Wyeth family, it does not have the benefit of a local support group. Maine is the locale for two important national forces for lighthouse preservation: American Lighthouse Foundation and Lighthouse Digest
magazine.
Andrew Wyeth and the Tenants Harbor Light were the subject of an encomium
published by the Island Institute: Island Journal Turns 25 (2009), It is said to include an 'extraordinary folio" of Andrew Wyeth's island work, as he was "a man who loved islands", particularly those in Maine.
Tenants Harbor Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as "Tenants Harbor Light Station" on November 20, 1987, reference number 87002026.
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....
at the mouth of Tenants Harbor, St. George, Maine
St. George, Maine
St. George is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 2,580. It includes the villages of Port Clyde, Clark Island, Glenmere, Martinsville and Tenants Harbor, the latter its commercial center. A favorite with artists, writers and naturalists, St...
. It appears in paintings by Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
and his son Jamie Wyeth
Jamie Wyeth
James Browning Wyeth is a contemporary American realist painter. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth...
, who have owned the light house since 1978.
History
It was established in 1857 on Southern Island, on the south side of the entrance to the harbor. It is on the west side of Two Bush Channel, the southwestern entrance to Penobscot BayPenobscot Bay
Penobscot Bay originates from the mouth of Maine's Penobscot River. There are many islands in this bay, and on them, some of the country's most well-known summer colonies. The bay served as portal for the one time "lumber capital of the world," namely; the city of Bangor...
.
The light was 66 feet (20.1 m) above the high water mark. By the 1900s a fifth order 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...
replaced the original fourth order (larger) lens.
The 1½ story, wood-framed, colonial cape lighthouse keeper's residence was constructed in 1857. A brick covered passageway connects the tower and the keeper's quarters. Other buildings include a storage building (1895) an oil house (1906), a boathouse
Boathouse
A boathouse is a building especially designed for the storage of boats, normally smaller craft for sports or leisure use. These are typically located on open water, such as on a river. Often the boats stored are rowing boats...
, and a hand-operated fog bell in a square
Square (geometry)
In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
pyramidal tower (automated subsequently).
The light was discontinued in 1933 and auctioned off as surplus in 1936.
Current status
The lighthouse was purchased in 1978 by Andrew WyethAndrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
. His son Jamie
Jamie Wyeth
James Browning Wyeth is a contemporary American realist painter. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth...
now owns it. He reconstructed the white square pyramid bell house and uses it as a studio. The studio is said to be a scaled down replica of one of Lord Horatio Nelson's cabins on H.M.S. Victory. The lighthouse has appeared in several Wyeth paintings, including Fog Bell (1967) and Signal Flags by Andrew Wyeth. Other lighthouse images by James Wyeth are: Iris at Sea (painted as a fund raising project to benefit the Island Institute of Rockland); Lighthouse Dandelions; The Gaggle (1995) Southern Island Sunset (1995), and Lighthouse.
It is said that the light and the island were the subject of "dozens of paintings" by the Wyeths, some of which (from the personal collection of Andrew Wyeth and Betsy Jane Wyeth) are congregated at the Farnsworth Art Museum
Farnsworth Art Museum
The Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine, United States, is an art museum that specializes in American art. Its permanent collection includes works by such artists as Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Sully, Thomas Eakins, Eastman Johnson, Fitz Henry Lane, Frank Benson, Childe Hassam, and Maurice...
in a special Wyeth collection, and part of the museum's periodically rotating shows.
Likewise, Jamie Wyeth has found the environs of Southern Island to be an inspiration for his art.
Since it is one of eight privately held lights in Maine, although owned by the Wyeth family, it does not have the benefit of a local support group. Maine is the locale for two important national forces for lighthouse preservation: American Lighthouse Foundation and Lighthouse Digest
Lighthouse Digest
Lighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
magazine.
Andrew Wyeth and the Tenants Harbor Light were the subject of an encomium
Encomium
Encomium is a Latin word deriving from the Classical Greek ἐγκώμιον meaning the praise of a person or thing. "Encomium" also refers to several distinct aspects of rhetoric:* A general category of oratory* A method within rhetorical pedagogy...
published by the Island Institute: Island Journal Turns 25 (2009), It is said to include an 'extraordinary folio" of Andrew Wyeth's island work, as he was "a man who loved islands", particularly those in Maine.
Tenants Harbor Light was listed on 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 "Tenants Harbor Light Station" on November 20, 1987, reference number 87002026.
Getting there
- The best view of this light is from the water. Local lighthouse tours and other longer distance cruises (from CamdenCamden, MaineCamden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,254 at the 2000 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is a famous summer colony in the Mid-Coast region of Maine...
or from Tenants Harbor) can also provide views of this lighthouse. - However, a long distance glimpse may be had from the shore at the public boat landing near Tenants Harbor. Tenants Harbor lies south of
State Route 1 east of Thomaston, MaineThomaston, MaineThomaston, Maine is a town on the coast of Maine the United States. The name may also refer to:*Thomaston , Maine, a census-designated place comprising the center of the town*South Thomaston, Maine, an adjacent town...
. Turn south on
State Route 131 and proceed about ten miles (16 km). Follow Hartsneck Road to the end.
Further reading
- Corbett, Myron L. (January, 2007) CoalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
Lighthouse DigestLighthouse DigestLighthouse Digest is a specialty magazine for lighthouse and maritime history enthusiasts published in East Machias, Maine. Launched in May, 1992, by FogHorn Publishing, it is dedicated to preserving lighthouse history, current and yesteryear, for future generations.-Scope:Coverage includes...
. - Crosman, Christopher. "Southern Island Light." Island Journal (annual Island Institute publication), volume 12.
- Meryman, Richard. (May 1, 1998) Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life. Paperback, 464 pages. Harper Collins Publishers (New York: Perennial) ISBN 9780060929213; ISBN 0060929219.
- Meryman, Richard. (July, 1991) "The Wyeth Family: American Visions." National Geographic.
- Smalley, Albert J. (1976) History of St. George, Maine, reprinted by the Jackson Memorial Library League, St. George, Maine, 1981.
External links
- Farnsworth Art Museum
- Huelse, Klaus -- Meine Leuchtturm-Seite: Leuchttürme USA auf historischen Postkarten -- Historic postcard images of U.S. lighthouses, Historic Post Card View — Tenants Harbor Light'.
- Satellite view, Google earthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
. - Visit Maine, Tenants Harbor Light.
