National Register of Historic Places

Goose Rocks Light Station

North Haven, Knox County, Maine
Listed
January 21, 1988
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
87002267

About this property

Goose Rocks Light is a sparkplug lighthouse located near North Haven, Maine in Penobscot Bay. It stands at the eastern entrance to the Fox Islands Thoroughfare, a busy mile-wide passage separating North Haven from Vinalhaven. Built in 1890, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Goose Rocks Light Station on January 21, 1988. The structure is now privately owned by a preservation group, and remains an active aid to navigation. The Maine town of North Haven occupies a large eponymous island in the south center of Penobscot Bay. The island is studded with inlets and peninsulas, and is just north of Vinalhaven, the other major island of the Fox Islands group, from which it is separated by the Fox Island Thoroughfare. Goose Rocks is a ledge roughly between Stimpson Island (part of North Haven) and Widows Island (part of Vinalhaven) at the eastern end of the Thoroughfare. It is a sparkplug lighthouse, a four-level tapered structure with walls of cast iron plating set on a concrete base. The second level of the structure serves as the keeper's quarters, with the lantern house as the fourth stage. The tower is painted white, with a black base and trim. The light station was established in 1890, at a time when Vinalhaven was the site of major granite quarries, and both communities were attracting a significant number of summer visitors. The light was automated in 1963. Declared surplus in the 1990s, a proposal was first floated to turn the building over to the town of North Haven, but this was never realized. In 2006 it was sold to the non-profit Beacon Preservation organization. The light itself is maintained by the Coast Guard, and remains an active aid to navigation. Browns Head Light, at the western end of the Fox Islands Thoroughfare National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Maine

Location

North Haven, Knox County, Maine
44.13540, -68.83046

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATION
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

Wharf House
Industrial
2.1 mi
Murch Family House
Industrial
2.5 mi
Pleasant River Grange No. 492
Industrial
4.1 mi
Browns Head Light Station
Industrial
4.2 mi
Vinalhaven Public Library
Industrial
6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Goose Rocks Light Station listed on the National Register?

Goose Rocks Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 21, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Goose Rocks Light Station?

Goose Rocks Light Station is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Goose Rocks Light Station?

The period of significance for Goose Rocks Light Station is recorded as the industrial era.

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