Wood Island Light
Encyclopedia
Wood Island Light is an active lighthouse
on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay
, Maine
. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool
and the end of the Saco River
. The lighthouse is a 47 feet (14.3 m) tall conical white tower constructed of granite rubble. The light itself sits 71 feet (21.6 m) above mean high water. It currently is automated and has an alternating green and white beacon every 10 seconds.
Wood Island Light is Maine's second oldest lighthouse (after Portland Head Light
) and the nation's eleventh oldest. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Wood Island Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002274.
In 1960s the original lantern room was removed and an aerobeacon was installed instead. This however was deemed unsightly by locals and when the lighthouse was automated in 1986 a new lantern room was fabricated and installed on the lighthouse along with the current VRB-25
beacon. Currently the United States Coast Guard
maintains the active beacon of the lighthouse, however The Friends of Wood Island Light non-profit organization has assisted the Coast Guard by maintaining and restoring parts of the lighthouse and keepers dwellings which they now own.
Eben Emerson
served as Lightkeeper from 1861 to 1865. On March 16, 1865, he saved the crew of the British
brig
Edyth Anne from drowning in a heavy storm near the lighthouse; for this action he was commended by the Canadian
government and rewarded with a pair of binoculars.
Thomas Henry Orcutt, a former sea captain and previous keeper at Saddleback Ledge Light
served as keeper of Wood Island Light for 19 years (1886–1905). His dog, Sailor, became famous for ringing the station's fog bell to greet passing ships by taking the bell cord in mouth and pulling it with his teeth.
In the 1890s Wood Island Light and Wood Island were host to a grisly murder-suicide. A local squatter and part time lobsterman was living on the west end of the island. The squatter had been involved in an earlier altercation on the mainland and was approached by a sheriff's deputy in his squatter shack on the island. The squatter murdered the sheriff's deputy. Realizing what he had done he attempted to turn himself in to lighthouse keeper Thomas Orcutt who, in fear, turned him away. The squatter returned to his shack and committed suicide. Legend has it that the ghost of the murdered deputy still haunts the lighthouse and island.
Wood Island Light is viewable from just beyond the southern end of SR-208
off Biddeford Pool, Maine. To reach the best viewing spot proceed beyond SR-208's southern terminus 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) along Lester B Orcutt Bl. There is an entrance to an Audubon trail on the left side of the road. Follow this path to the ocean. Wood Island Light is across the channel.
Also, Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse runs seasonal tours out to the island and lighthouse from Biddeford Pool.
s on the island. Rafts of Eider
s, Scoter
s and Loon
s are present in the winter, Brants and Cormorant
s arrive in early spring.
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....
on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay
Saco Bay (Maine)
Saco Bay is a small arcuate embayment of the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic coast of Maine in the United States. The name derives "from a map of the coastline made in 1525 by the Spanish explorer Esteban Gómez...
, 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...
. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool
Biddeford Pool
Biddeford Pool is the large tidal pool, located off Saco Bay south of the mouth of the Saco River on the south coast of Maine. It is approximately 6 miles southeast of downtown Biddeford, to which it is connected via State Route 208...
and the end of the Saco River
Saco River
The Saco River is a river in northeastern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine in the United States. It drains a rural area of of forests and farmlands west and southwest of Portland, emptying into the Atlantic Ocean at Saco Bay, from its source. It supplies drinking water to roughly 250,000...
. The lighthouse is a 47 feet (14.3 m) tall conical white tower constructed of granite rubble. The light itself sits 71 feet (21.6 m) above mean high water. It currently is automated and has an alternating green and white beacon every 10 seconds.
Wood Island Light is Maine's second oldest lighthouse (after Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine that sits at the entrance of the shipping channel into Casco Bay. The headlight was the first built by the United States government, and is now a part of Fort Williams Park.-History:...
) and the nation's eleventh oldest. It 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 Wood Island Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002274.
History
Wood Island Light was constructed in 1808 under the orders of President Thomas Jefferson. The original tower was an octagonal wooden structure that had rotted out by the 1830s. In 1839 a granite tower was erected replacing the original wood structure. The current tower was constructed in 1858 as a renovation of the 1839 tower to allow for the installation of a 4th order Fresnel Lense. Also built in 1858 were the current keepers dwellings which are still standing.In 1960s the original lantern room was removed and an aerobeacon was installed instead. This however was deemed unsightly by locals and when the lighthouse was automated in 1986 a new lantern room was fabricated and installed on the lighthouse along with the current VRB-25
VRB-25
The VRB-25 is a lighthouse optical system designed and built by Vega Industries Ltd. in Porirua, New Zealand. It was originally designed in 1993-95 with the assistance of the United States Coast Guard to meet USCG requirements for a robust mechanism requiring minimum maintenance. It has become the...
beacon. Currently the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
maintains the active beacon of the lighthouse, however The Friends of Wood Island Light non-profit organization has assisted the Coast Guard by maintaining and restoring parts of the lighthouse and keepers dwellings which they now own.
Legends and lore
Eben Emerson
Eben Emerson was an American lighthouse keeper who served at Wood Island Light, Maine from 1861 to 1865.On March 16, 1865, he saved the crew of the British brig Edyth Anne from drowning in a heavy storm near the lighthouse; for this action he was commended by the Canadian government and rewarded...
served as Lightkeeper from 1861 to 1865. On March 16, 1865, he saved the crew of the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Edyth Anne from drowning in a heavy storm near the lighthouse; for this action he was commended by the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
government and rewarded with a pair of binoculars.
Thomas Henry Orcutt, a former sea captain and previous keeper at Saddleback Ledge Light
Saddleback Ledge Light
Saddleback Ledge Light is a lighthouse on Saddleback Ledge, an islet lying between Isle au Haut and Vinalhaven, Maine, in the middle of the southeastern entrance to Penobscot Bay....
served as keeper of Wood Island Light for 19 years (1886–1905). His dog, Sailor, became famous for ringing the station's fog bell to greet passing ships by taking the bell cord in mouth and pulling it with his teeth.
In the 1890s Wood Island Light and Wood Island were host to a grisly murder-suicide. A local squatter and part time lobsterman was living on the west end of the island. The squatter had been involved in an earlier altercation on the mainland and was approached by a sheriff's deputy in his squatter shack on the island. The squatter murdered the sheriff's deputy. Realizing what he had done he attempted to turn himself in to lighthouse keeper Thomas Orcutt who, in fear, turned him away. The squatter returned to his shack and committed suicide. Legend has it that the ghost of the murdered deputy still haunts the lighthouse and island.
Keepers
- Benjamin Cole (1808–1809)
- Philip Goldthwaite (1809–1832)
- Tristam Goldthwaite (1832–1833)
- Abraham Norwood (1833–1841)
- John Adams (1841-unknown)
- Stephen D. Batchelder (1849-unknown)
- Nathaniel Varrell (185?)
- L.F. Varrell (185?)
- Joseph R. Bryant (1854-1861?)
- Ebenezer EmersonEben EmersonEben Emerson was an American lighthouse keeper who served at Wood Island Light, Maine from 1861 to 1865.On March 16, 1865, he saved the crew of the British brig Edyth Anne from drowning in a heavy storm near the lighthouse; for this action he was commended by the Canadian government and rewarded...
(1861–1865) - Edwin Tarbox (1865–1872)
- Albert Norwood (1872–1886)
- Thomas Henry Orcutt (1886–1905)
- Charles A. Burke (1905–1914)
- C.B. Staples (1914–1917)
- W. F. Lurvey (1917–1923)
- Albert Staples (1923–1926)
- George Woodward (1927–1934)
Viewing
State Route 208 (Maine)
State Route 208 is a numbered state highway in Maine. Serving as the main north–south connector between Biddeford Pool northwest to downtown Biddeford, State Route 208 is approximately seven miles long and two lanes wide...
off Biddeford Pool, Maine. To reach the best viewing spot proceed beyond SR-208's southern terminus 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) along Lester B Orcutt Bl. There is an entrance to an Audubon trail on the left side of the road. Follow this path to the ocean. Wood Island Light is across the channel.
Also, Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse runs seasonal tours out to the island and lighthouse from Biddeford Pool.
Wildlife
The island supports a small population of deer who swim the half mile to and from Biddeford Pool. When visiting the island it is a rare treat to spot them. The best viewing can often be in winter from the East Point Sanctuary in Biddeford Pool. In winter it is not uncommon to spot Snowy OwlSnowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
s on the island. Rafts of Eider
Eider
Eiders are large seaducks in the genus Somateria. Steller's Eider, despite its name, is in a different genus.The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern hemisphere....
s, Scoter
Scoter
The scoters are stocky seaducks in the genus Melanitta. The drakes are mostly black and have swollen bills. Females are brown.They breed in the far north of Europe, Asia and North America, and winter further south in temperate zones of those continents. They form large flocks on suitable coastal...
s and Loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
s are present in the winter, Brants and Cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s arrive in early spring.