Matinicus Rock Light

43°47′.502″N 68°51′18.119″W / 43.78347278°N 68.85503306°W / 43.78347278; -68.85503306TowerConstructed1827FoundationNatural emplacedConstructionGranite blocksAutomated1983Height14.5 m (48 ft) ShapeCylindrical twin towersMarkingsNaturalPower sourcesolar cell HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Fog signalHORN: 1 every 15s, operates continuously.LightFirst lit1846 (current tower)Focal height90 feet (27 m)LensThird order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 (current)Range20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi)CharacteristicFlashing white 10s Nearest cityMatinicus Isle, MaineBuilt1847 (1847)ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
Alexander ParrisMPSLight Stations of Maine MPSNRHP reference No.88000149^[1]Added to NRHPMarch 14, 1988

Matinicus Rock Light is a lighthouse on Matinicus Rock, a windswept rock 25 miles (40 km) off the coast of Maine.^[2][3][4] It is one of eleven seacoast lights off the coast of Maine.^[2] First established in 1827, the present surviving structures date to 1857. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Matinicus Rock Light Station on March 14, 1988.^[1]

Description

Matinicus Rock is a windswept and treeless rock, projecting out of the Gulf of Maine several miles south of the main islands of Matinicus Isle, Maine, an island community that is a 20-mile (32 km) ferry ride from Rockland. The light station occupies the center of the rock, and includes two towers, a keeper's house, shed, and boathouse. The dock is located on the northwest side of the rock. The two towers are 41 feet (12 m) in height, built out of ashlar granite stone. Only the southern one is active, and has a twelve-sided lantern house, while the other has lost its lantern house. Connected to the active tower is the keeper's house, a single-story frame structure whose end walls are semicircular granite structures, remnants of the older lighthouses.^[5]

History

In 1827 the United States Lighthouse Service erected a pair of wooden light towers and a cobblestone keeper's residence on Matinicus Rock. The lights guided sea traffic until 1848 when they were replaced by the granite structure (see picture). In 1857 the government rebuilt the towers and placed them 180 feet (55 m) apart to make them more effective; the north light was deactivated in 1924.^[2] Alexander Parris, the architect who designed the 1848 lighthouses, also designed many stone buildings in New England including the 1825 Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts.

Matinicus Light is famous for the story of Abbie Burgess, who as a young girl maintained the light for several weeks while her father, the lighthouse keeper, was on the mainland. Winter storms prevented his timely return. Her mother was also very sick.

Matinicus Rock is now fully automated. A diesel generator used for power was replaced by solar panels in 2007. Matinicus Rock is known as being the southernmost nesting site for the Atlantic puffin and as of 2009, the common murre. The Audubon Society often has observers on island during nesting season.

See also