Marshall Point Light

Marshall Point Light Station is a lighthouse at the entrance of Port Clyde Harbor in Port Clyde, Maine. The light station was established in 1832.

Marshall Point Light
LocationPort Clyde, Maine
Coordinates43°55′2.718″N 69°15′40.568″W
Year first constructed1832
Year first lit1858
Automated1971
FoundationGranite blocks
ConstructionGranite and brick
Tower shapeCylindrical
Markings / patternWhite with black lantern
Tower height9 metre 
Focal height30 feet (9.1 m)
Original lens5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens12 inches (300 mm)
Range13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristicfixed white
Fog signal1898: Bell
1969: Horn, 1 every 10s
USCG number1-4780[1][2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Marshall Point Light Station
Nearest cityPort Clyde, Maine
Area5 acres (2.0 ha)
Built1857
ArchitectUS Army Corps of Engineers
MPSLight Stations of Maine MPS
NRHP reference No.87002262[3]
Added to NRHPMarch 23, 1988

History

Marshall Point Light Station was established in 1832 to assist boats entering and leaving Port Clyde Harbor. The original lighthouse was a 20-foot (6.1 m) tower lit by seven lard oil lamps with 14-inch reflectors.[1]

The original tower was replaced with the present lighthouse in 1857. The lighthouse is a 31-foot (9.4 m) tall white brick tower on a granite foundation. The tower was originally lit with a 5th order Fresnel lens. A raised wooden walkway connects the tower to land.[1]

In 1895, the original keeper's house was destroyed by lightning. A Colonial Revival style house was built to replace it. An oil house and a bell tower with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) bell were added in 1898. The bell was replaced with a fog horn in 1969.[1]

The lighthouse was automated in 1980 and the original Fresnel lens was replaced with a modern 12 inches (300 mm) optic.[4] The original lens is at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland. In 1986, the St. George Historical Society restored the keeper's house and established the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum there, presenting the histories of Marshall Point Light and other nearby lighthouses.[4] The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.[3]

The lighthouse appeared in the 1994 film Forrest Gump.[5]

The light station was transferred to the town of St. George in 1998 under the Maine Lights Program. The fog signal has been dismantled but the bell remains on display.[1][6]

  • Marshall Point Light before 1895 with original keeper's house
  • The light and access bridge
  • View from the access bridge

See also

References
  1. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
  2. Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 42.
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. Jones, Ray; Bruce Roberts; Steve Torres (2005). New England Lighthouses: Maine to Long Island Sound. Globe Pequot. p. 42. ISBN 0-7627-3041-2.
  5. Curtis, Wayne; Tom Seymour (2006). Maine: A Guide to Unique Places. Globe Pequot. pp. 97–98. ISBN 0-7627-4053-1.
  6. Twin Lights Publishers; Jean Patey (2004). New England's Lighthouses: A Photographic Portrait. Twin Lights Publishers. p. 8. ISBN 1-885435-50-9.
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