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Nash Island Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Southeast Entrance to Pleasant Bay
Closest City: South Addison, Maine
Latitude: 44.4638 Longitude: -67.7457
Body of Water: Pleasant Bay
Open to Public: No
Station Established: 1838
Present Tower Activated: 1874
Status of Light: Deactivated, 1982
Replaced by Buoy
Tower Height: 29 ft.
Optic: Removed
Fourth Order Fresnel, 1874
National Register Reference #: Not Listed
Listing Name: N/A
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During the 1830s, shipping traffic on the Pleasant and Harrington Rivers was abundant as coastal towns in the area depended heavily on ships to bring merchandise in and take granite and lumber from the area to major markets in Boston and Portland. In 1837, the U.S. government purchased 4 acres of land from the Nash family to construct a lighthouse to help guide this activity. One year and $5,000 later, the Nash Island lighthouse was established on the smaller of the two Nash Islands at the entrance to Pleasant Bay. The site included a keeper's house, workroom and wood storage shed, all of which were connected by covered walkways to the tower.
Poor construction caused the initial wooden tower and dwelling to rapidly deteriorate. The original lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1856 by a fourth order Fresnel lens from France. The lighthouse was significantly repaired in 1873, including a complete replacement of the tower with the 29 foot square, pyramid-shaped, brick structure that stands today. A 1,000 lb. fog horn and a bell tower were added in 1887. The horn's manual workings had to be manually wound every five hours, which was quite a chore especially at night during the raging storms common to this area. In 1878, a boat house was added to the site and in 1895 an oil house was constructed.
The Coast Guard demolished all structures other than the tower in 1947. Foundation ruins are still visible at the site today. The light was automated in 1958.
Use of the Nash Island lighthouse was discontinued in 1982 when it was replaced by an electronic buoy. The Coast Guard had intended to dismantle the tower but it was saved via the Maine Lights Program under the guidance of the Island Institute of Rockland, Maine.Under the program, the Maine Lighthouse Selection Committee was empowered to transfer ownership of specified lighthouses to private organizations able to restore and preserve them. Unlike other federal asset disposal processes, this committee consisted of citizens from the state where the properties are located. A non-profit organization, The Friends of Nash Island Light, incorporated in 1996, was awarded the Nash Island Light by the Committee in 1997. This volunteer organization has been restoring the tower gradually ever since.
Nash Island, located five miles from Jonesport and three miles southwest of South Addison, is a part of the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge and plays host to at least three different species of migratory seabirds. To protect nesting sites, the island is closed to the public April through August. The Nash Island lighthouse site and tower are closed to the public.
Lighthouse Accessibility
- The lighthouse is not open to the public and is best
seen by boat.
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