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Owls Head Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: South Rockland Harbor
Closest City: Owls Head, Maine
Latitude: 44.091978 Longitude: -69.044002
Body of Water: Penobscot Bay
Open to Public: Yes
Station Established: 1825
Present Tower Activated: 1852
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 30 ft.
Optic: Fourth Order Fresnel, 1856
Reflector System, 1826
National Register Reference #: 78000183
Listing Name: Owls Head Light Station
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One of the more popular beacon sites in Maine, the Owls Head lighthouse is known for the exaggerated formations carved out of the rock over the centuries by the sea and skies. The lighthouse here was originally built in 1826 at the southern entrance to Rockland Harbor on the west side of Penobscot Bay. Like the Rockland Breakwater light, the Owl's Head beacon was initially constructed to guide heavy ship traffic carrying limestone out of the area in the 1800s. The station rests on a tall, tree-studded promontory which provides for a height of focal plane of roughly 100 feet.
The original 30 foot, white, cylindrical tower with black lantern and gallery remains to this day. A 1.5 story, wood frame keeper's residence was added in 1854. The original reflector system was replaced by a fourth order Fresnel lens, visible for 16 miles, a couple years later. Over the years, a boathouse (1894), oil storage building (1895), bell tower (1906) and generator house were added to the site. The boathouse and bell tower have been removed. A wooden walkway to the tower also remains.
The history of Owls Head lighthouse is peppered with memorable stories. As one tale tells it, a young couple and a deckhand became shipwrecked here when a nasty blizzard snapped their anchor cable and blew their schooner into the treacherous ledge nearby. The three wrapped themselves in blankets and bundled together next to the stern rail in hopes that the ocean mist blowing onto the ship would form a protective shell of ice over them. By morning, only the deckhand was still conscious and was able to fight his way out of the icy encasement. He emerged to find that the receding tide had exposed a rocky bridge to land, which he used to stumble to the Owls Head Light. Keepers there immediately organized a rescue party which found the unconscious couple fused together in a frigid embrace. Against all odds, the couple was still alive and recovered to be married in a nearby church.
Operated by keepers until 1989, the Owls Head lighthouse was one of the last in the country to be automated. The site is still owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and is situated inside Owls Head Light State Park. The keeper's residence serves as housing for Coast Guard personnel. The grounds are open to the public and accessible via a short walk from a parking lot at the end of Lighthouse Road in the park (see directions below). Good photo opportunities are also available from the Rockland-Vinalhaven State Ferry.
Lighthouse Accessibility
- The grounds are open to the public.
- The lighthouse can be seen via local boat tours.
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