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Bear Island Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Bear Island / Northeast Harbor
Closest City: Northeast Harbor, Maine
Latitude: 44.2831 Longitude: -68.2697
Body of Water: Atlantic Ocean
Open to Public: Site: Yes, Private Boats Only
Station Established: 1839
Present Tower Activated: 1889
Status of Light: Private Aid
Tower Height: 31 ft.
Optic: Present Optic Unknown
Fifth Order Fresnel, 1889
National Register Reference #: 88000043
Listing Name: Bear Island Light Station
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Constructed at the direction of the fifth auditor of the Treasury in 1839 along with the Saddleback Ledge and Eagle Island lights, the original Bear Island lighthouse (see picture above) was replaced by the Lighthouse Board in 1889 with a 31 foot cylindrical, white brick tower with black lantern (see pictures at right). A 1.5 story wooden keeper's residence with gambrel-roof was constructed along with the new tower. The site also hosts a barn (1889), stone oil house (1905), and boathouse.
The Bear Island lighthouse is situated at the entrance to Northeast Harbor on Mount Desert Island. Bear Island is joined to the mainland via a shallow mudflat that causes problems for all but the smallest of vessels. Marine traffic at one point in time was sufficiently abundant to require the opening of a coaling station and a buoy repair and repainting depot at the station. Navigational duties, however, were taken over by a buoy in 1982 and the station was inactive until it was renovated by a private group called Friends of Acadia National Park and reopened in 1989, in time to celebrate its centennial.
The same federal law that established permanent boundaries for Acadia National Park in 1986 restricted the development of facilities that would promote significant visitation of Bear Island. Accordingly, tour boats are not allowed. However, visitors in private boats are allowed access to the site. The site is owned by the National Park Service, managed by Acadia National Park, and leased to a private caretaker.
The station is located on a bluff on what is now a privately owned island. The tower and keeper's quarters overlook a beautiful stretch of Maine coastline in Acadia National Park. The lighthouse can be photographed by air or boat and can be seen by many of the tour boats out of Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor.
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