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Baker Island Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Mount Desert Island/
Somers Sound Approach
Closest City: Islesford, Maine
Latitude: 44.2417 Longitude: -68.1983
Body of Water: Frenchman Bay
Open to Public: Site: Yes, Summers Only
Tower: No
Station Established: 1828
Present Tower Activated: 1855
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 43 ft.
Optic: 300mm Solar, 1966
Fourth Order Fresnel, 1855
National Register Reference #: 88000046
Listing Name: Baker Island Light Station
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Originally host to a wooden tower built in 1828, the Baker Island Light Station received a new, cylindrical, white masonry tower with black lantern and a 1.5 story wooden keeper's house in 1855 by order of the Lighthouse Board after it was determined the original tower was beyond repair. The Baker Island lighthouse is situated at the entrance to Frenchman Bay and serves as a warning to mariners of the sandbar between Baker Island and Little Cranberry Island as well as the many shoals in the area. So many incidences of damaged and wrecked ships occurred locally here that the Coast Guard established a lifesaving station nearby on Cranberry Island.
The title history of this light has been quite controversial. The light's first keeper was summarily dismissed after 21 years of service. His sons, determined to make their father's successor's life difficult, stayed on the island and charged the new keeper grazing and landing fees. The Lighthouse Board, which considered the sons to be squatters, initiated legal proceedings to have them removed from the island. The sons countersued the government, claiming they owned the island. Ultimately, the original federal title to the land, dating to 1806, was found faulty and a compromise was reached whereby the government kept the land surrounding the light station, road access from the boat landing, and pasture access for the keeper's herd. A case of trespassing surfaced some 40 years later but the courts upheld the previous decision.
The 43 foot high tower was, at one time, attached to the Cape Code-style keeper's quarters via a passageway (see picture above) but is now separate. The site also hosts a brick oil house (1895), fuel house (1905) and two storage buildings.
After being operated by keeper's for 138 years, the Baker Island lighthouse was automated in 1966 and the original fourth order Fresnel lens was replaced with a solar-powered 300 mm optic. Ownership of the site, excluding the lighthouse itself, was transferred to Acadia National Park. The original lens is on display at the Fishermen's Museum at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
The Coast Guard introduced a proposal to discontinue use of the light in 1991 and then again in 1997. In both cases, opposition by local residents and mariners kept the Baker Island lighthouse in use. Tree growth obstructing the light has been a point of contention between the Coast Guard and National Park Service, which have had difficulty agreeing on how to best restore visibility from the water while maintaining the island's natural assets. In 2002, an offshore buoy replaced the light as an active aid to navigation.
Lighthouse Accessiblity
The site is open to the public (207-288-3338) but is accessible only by boat.
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