Baker Island Light facts for kids
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| Baker Island Light and Lightkeeper's House | |
 Baker Island Light
Location in Maine
Baker Island Light
Location in the United States
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| Location | Baker Island, Maine |
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| Coordinates | 44°14′28.351″N 68°11′56.442″W / 44.24120861°N 68.19901167°W |
| Year first constructed | 1828 |
| Year first lit | 1855 (current structure) |
| Automated | 1966 |
| Tower shape | Cylindrical |
| Markings / pattern | White |
| Focal height | 105 feet (32 m) |
| Range | 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 10s |
| Fog signal | none |
| ARLHS number | USA-028 |
| USCG number | 1-2040 |
Baker Island Light is a historic lighthouse located on Baker Island in Maine. This island is part of the beautiful Acadia National Park. The lighthouse was first built in 1828 to help ships find their way into the southern part of Frenchman Bay. The tower you see today was built a bit later, in 1855. This lighthouse, along with its keeper's house and other buildings, is very well-preserved. It was even added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 because of its importance.
Contents
What Makes Up Baker Island Light?
The Baker Island Light Station has four main buildings. These include the tall lighthouse tower, the keeper's house where the lighthouse keeper lived, a small oil house, and a fuel house.
The Lighthouse Tower
The current lighthouse tower was built in 1855. It stands on the highest point of Baker Island. This means its light shines from about 70 feet (21 m) above the sea. The light itself is 37 feet (11 m) above the tower's base.
The tower is made of brick. It used to have two windows, but these have been closed up. At the very top of the brick tower, there's a special octagonal (eight-sided) iron room called the lantern house. This is where the bright light shines from. It has a walkway and railing around it, and a dome-shaped roof on top. When it was first built, the lighthouse used a special kind of lens called a Fresnel lens to make the light shine far and wide.
The Keeper's House
The keeper's house was also built in 1855. It's a wooden building shaped like the letter "L". It has a sloped roof and sits on a brick base. Today, its outside walls are made of overlapping wooden boards called clapboards. However, it originally had a different type of siding.
Long ago, there was a covered walkway that connected the keeper's house directly to the lighthouse tower. This made it easier for the keeper to get to the light, especially in bad weather. This covered path has since been removed.
Other Buildings
Besides the tower and keeper's house, there are two other important buildings. The oil house is a small brick building from 1895. It was used to store the oil that fueled the lighthouse lamp. The fuel house is a small wooden building built in 1905.
History of Baker Island Light
The Baker Island Light Station was first set up in 1828. It was one of the very first lighthouses built along the coast of Maine near Mount Desert Island. Its main job was to help ships safely reach important ports on that island, like Bar Harbor and Northeast Harbor.
Today, the buildings of the light station are looked after by Acadia National Park. However, the light itself, which helps guide ships, is still maintained by the United States Coast Guard.
