Isle au Haut Light, also called Robinson Point Light, is a lighthouse located at Robinson Point in Isle au Haut, Maine.[2][3][4] The lighthouse was established in 1907.
 The lighthouse in 2023 | |
 | |
| Location | Isle au Haut, Maine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 44°3′53.076″N 68°39′4.952″W / 44.06474333°N 68.65137556°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1907 |
| Foundation | Granite blocks |
| Construction | Granite and brick |
| Automated | 1934 |
| Height | 12 m (39 ft)  |
| Shape | Conical (lower) Cylindrical (upper) |
| Markings | Lower: gray Upper: white with black lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 48 feet (15 m) |
| Lens | 4th order Fresnel lens (original), 9.8 inches (250 mm) solar powered (current) |
| Range | White: 8 nautical miles (15 km; 9.2 mi) Red: 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl R 4s with W sector |
Isle au Haut Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Isle au Haut, Maine |
| Architect | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| MPS | Light Stations of Maine MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 87002265[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1988 |
History
editThe lighthouse tower and surrounding buildings at Isle au Haut Light Station were built in 1907 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers at a 20-acre (8.1 ha) site at Robinson Point purchased from Charles E. Robinson. The lighthouse tower was built slightly offshore, standing 40 feet (12 m) tall and consisting of a white granite and brick cylindrical upper section on a conical granite block foundation. The keeper's quarters are a two-and-a-half-story frame and stucco Victorian house connected to the tower by a catwalk. A boathouse, oil house, and storage shed were also built at the station.[3]
The lighthouse was automated in 1934 and the government sold the property except the tower back to Robinson. The Robinson family used the property as a summer home until they sold it to Jeff and Judi Burke in 1986. The Burkes converted the keeper's quarters into a bed and breakfast called "The Keeper's House," which they operated until 2007.[3][5][6]
Isle au Haut Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places as "Isle au Haut Light Station" in 1988.[1] The Coast Guard transferred the lighthouse to the Town of Isle au Haut in 1998 under the Maine Lights Program and the tower was completely restored in 1999.[7]
The lighthouse remains in service as of 2008. The current optic for the light is a 9.8 inches (250 mm) solar-powered lens which flashes red every four seconds with a white sector covering the safe channel. The original fourth order Fresnel lens is at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 31.
- ^ a b c d "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-08. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ (2009-10-09). "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ Roberts, Bruce; Ray Jones (2002). American Lighthouses: A Definitive Guide. Globe Pequot. pp. 35–36. ISBN 978-0-7627-2269-3.
Isle Au Haut Light solar.
- ^ Greenlaw, Linda (2003). The Lobster Chronicles: Life On a Very Small Island. Hyperion. pp. 58–60, 66. ISBN 0-7868-8591-2.
The Keeper's House.
- ^ Twin Lights Publishers; Jean Patey (2004). New England's Lighthouses: A Photographic Portrait. Twin Lights Publishers. p. 39. ISBN 1-885435-50-9.[permanent dead link]