National Register of Historic Places

Bear Island Light Station

Northeast Harbor, Hancock County, Maine
Listed
March 14, 1988
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
88000043

About this property

Bear Island Light is a lighthouse on Bear Island near Mt. Desert Island, at the entrance to Northeast Harbor, Maine. It was first established in 1839. The present structure was built in 1889. It was deactivated in 1981 and relit as a private aid to navigation by the Friends of Acadia National Park in 1989. Bear Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Bear Island Light Station on March 14, 1988. Bear Island Light was authorized by federal legislation signed by President Martin Van Buren in 1838. The government acquired 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land at the southwestern end of Bear Island, and in 1839 constructed a stone keeper's house, on top of which a light was mounted. This structure burned in 1852, and was replaced the following year by a brick tower. A fifth order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower in 1855, and a fog station was added in 1888. In 1889 the 1852 tower was torn down and most of the present complex of buildings was constructed. The Coast Guard discontinued the light in the 1980s, replacing it with an offshore buoy with a bell and light. The Bear Island property became part of Acadia National Park in 1987. The station was restored in 1989 by the Friends of Acadia, and relit as a private aid to navigation. The tower is a cylindrical brick structure, 31 feet (9.4 m) in height, with an attached gable-roofed workroom, and was built in 1889. It is topped by a polygonal lantern chamber, with a surrounding iron parapet and railing. There are two narrow windows in the tower, and two into the workroom, which also has the entrance providing access to the tower. The keeper's house is a modest 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, with a gambrel roof pierced by gable-roof dormers. The light station includes three outbuildings. The largest is a gable-roofed barn, set at a remove from the keeper's house and tower. Just to the barn's southwest is a small stone oil house, built in 1905. To the northwest of the tower is the station's boathouse and slip. The boathouse is a frame structure with a gable roof and shingled sides, and was also built in 1905. National Register of Historic Places listings in Hancock County, Maine National Register of Historic Places listings in Acadia National Park United States Lighthouses - Bear Island Lighthouse

Location

Northeast Harbor, Hancock County, Maine
44.28337, -68.27008

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Sea Change
Listed
0.6 mi
Gilman, Daniel Coit, Summer Home
Early Republic
0.8 mi
St. Mary's-By-The-Sea
Industrial
0.8 mi
Union Church of Northeast Harbor
Civil War
1.3 mi
Seal Harbor Congregational Church
Industrial
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bear Island Light Station listed on the National Register?

Bear Island Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 14, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Bear Island Light Station?

Bear Island Light Station is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bear Island Light Station?

The period of significance for Bear Island Light Station is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Bear Island Light Station?

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