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Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Fun Facts
Location: Entrance to Muscongus Bay
Closest City: Pemaquid Point, Maine
Latitude: 43.836635 Longitude: -69.506222
Body of Water: Muscongus Bay
Open to Public: Yes
Station Established: 1827
Present Tower Activated: 1835
Status of Light: Operational
Tower Height: 38 ft.
Optic: Fourth Order Fresnel, 1856
Argand Lamps, 1835
National Register Reference #: 85000843
Listing Name: Pemaquid Point Light
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The Pemaquid Point lighthouse, located at the western entrance to Muscongus Bay and 9 miles south of the Town of Bristol, was first built in 1827 at a cost of $4,000 to warn mariners of the hazardous rock formations common to this area.
The original tower only lasted 8 years. In 1835, the tower was rebuilt using existing material for roughly $1,400. The 38 foot, conical, white rubblestone tower with black gallery and lantern is situated on a high bluff that places the light a lofty 79 feet above the sea.
In 1856, the original Argand lamps were replaced by a fourth order Fresnel lens, which is still in use today. The roughly 10,000 candlepower lamp within the lens displays a white flash every 6 seconds that can be seen for 14 miles. A relay system shuts the lamp off during sunlight. In 1857, thirty years after original construction, the Lighthouse Board ordered the keeper's house to be leveled and replaced by a wooden, 1.5 story, frame dwelling which is attached to the tower.
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to add a fog signal, a Stevens Striking Machine was installed in 1899. During foggy weather, the keeper would wind the machine, causing a system of weights to sound the fog bell for up to eight hours, after which the machine could be wound again. The original fog signal building, built in 1897, was destroyed in a 1991 storm but rebuilt in 1992.
The Bureau of Lighthouses ordered the station to be automated in 1934, at which time the fog bell was removed.
Six years later, the keeper's dwelling and other support buildings were sold to the Town of Bristol. The residence now houses the Fisherman's Museum which, in addition to housing lighthouse artifacts, pays homage to the fishing and lobster industries that have historically dominated and supported this area.
The tower was updated by the Coast Guard in 2000 and leased to the American Lighthouse Foundation. In 2002, volunteers from the New England Lighthouse Lovers (NELL) painted the tower. The Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse currently works to restore and maintain the tower and gives tours during the summer (207-677-2494). While the site is open to the public, the light is still an active aid to navigation and the tower remains under Coast Guard ownership.
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