Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal
National Register of Historic Places

Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal

Arrowsic, Sagadahoc County, Maine
Listed
August 4, 2009
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
09000594

About this property

The Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal is a fog signal station located on the Kennebec River in Arrowsic, Maine, in Sagadahoc County. It is about 1,100 feet (340 m) SW of the front light of the Doubling Point Range Lights, and about 2,000 feet (610 m) east of Doubling Point Light. The pyramidal bell structure was built in 1914, two years after a large steamship, the Ransom B. Fuller, ran aground in the fog on this section of the river. The signal was rung to assist ships navigating the treacherous S-bend section of the river known as Fiddler Reach. It was a bell from 1914 until the late sixties and then a horn until it was discontinued in 1982. The signal, while not part of the Kennebec River Light Station, was tended by its station keeper. He reached it along a footpath that included a boardwalk and two wooden bridges. While it was a bell, it was rung by means of a clockwork counter weight system that had to be rewound every 4 hours. Bell signals were distinguished by the number of strokes and length of time between them. This signal was two strokes every twenty seconds. The structure eventually fell into disrepair. The original bell was removed by the Coast Guard in 1972 and is now displayed on the campus of the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. It was restored by volunteer effort of the "Range Light Keepers", a self-described "group of interested local Maine citizens and visitors". A replacement bell has been obtained and kept at the Arrowsic Town Hall. Until 2016 when the bell was installed on the tower's exterior bell arm The property was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on August 5, 2009, and the listing was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of August 14, 2009. Fort Point Light Station, a Maine lighthouse station also having a pyramidal fog bell structure Perkins Island Light, four miles (6 km) downriver, also with a pyramidal fog bell structure Tenants Harbor Light, with a square pyramidal bell reconstructed by Jamie Wyeth. National Register of Historic Places listings in Sagadahoc County, Maine restoration webpage, The Range Light Keepers, Arrowsic Island, Maine

Location

Arrowsic, Sagadahoc County, Maine
43.88160, -69.79941

Categories

ARCHITECTUREMARITIME HISTORYTRANSPORTATION
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

Kennebec River Light Station
Industrial
0.2 mi
Doubling Point Light Station
Industrial
0.4 mi
MARY E. (Schooner)
Industrial
1.2 mi
Donnell, William T., House
Industrial
1.3 mi
Percy and Small Shipyard
Industrial
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal listed on the National Register?

Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 4, 2009.

What type of historic resource is Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal?

Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal?

The period of significance for Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1914.

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