Matinicus Rock Light
| File:Matinicus light house.jpg
Matinicus Lighthouse, drawn in March 1848
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| Location | 6 miles south of Matinicus Island, Town of Criehaven, Maine |
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Year first constructed | 1827 |
| Year first lit | 1846 (current tower) |
| Automated | 1983 |
| Foundation | Natural emplaced |
| Construction | Granite blocks |
| Tower shape | Cylindrical twin towers |
| Markings / pattern | Natural |
| Focal height | 90 feet (27 m) |
| Original lens | Third order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Range | 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) |
| Characteristic | Flashing white 10s |
| Fog signal | HORN: 1 every 15s, operates continuously. |
| Admiralty number | J0116 |
| ARLHS number | USA-484 |
| USCG number | 1-10[1][2][3] |
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Matinicus Rock Light Station
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| Nearest city | Matinicus Isle, Maine |
| Built | 1847 |
| Architect | US Army Corps of Engineers Alexander Parris |
| MPS | Light Stations of Maine MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | 88000149[4] |
| Added to NRHP | March 14, 1988 |
Matinicus Rock Light, is a lighthouse in on Matinicus Rock, 18 miles off the coast of Maine. It is one of eleven seacoast lights off the coast of Maine.[1]
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 apart to make them more effective; the north light was deactivated in 1924.[1] 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.
The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Matinicus Rock Light Station on March 14, 1988, reference number 88000149.
References
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matinicus Rock Light. |
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- Lighthouses completed in 1827
- Towers completed in 1827
- Lighthouses completed in 1846
- Towers completed in 1846
- Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
- Lighthouses in Knox County, Maine
- Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
