Egg Rock Light (Maine) facts for kids
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 Egg Rock Light
Location in Maine
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| Location | Frenchman Bay, Maine |
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| Coordinates | 44°21′14.188″N 68°8′18.033″W / 44.35394111°N 68.13834250°W |
| Year first constructed | 1875 |
| Automated | 1976 |
| Tower shape | Brick Tower in middle of Wood House |
| Markings / pattern | White |
| Focal height | 64 feet (20 m) |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Range | 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl R 5s |
| Fog signal | HORN: 2 every 30s |
| USCG number | 1-1865 |
Egg Rock Light is a special lighthouse located in Frenchman Bay, Maine. It was built way back in 1875. This lighthouse has a very unique design. Its square tower actually rises right through the middle of the keeper's house!
Egg Rock Light sits on a small island called Egg Rock. This island is found between Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula. The lighthouse is still active today. It helps ships find their way by flashing a red light every 40 seconds. In 1988, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an important historical site called the Egg Rock Light Station.
What Egg Rock Light Looks Like
The Egg Rock Light Station has two main buildings. One is the lighthouse tower combined with the keeper's house. The other is a separate building for the foghorn.
The keeper's house is a wooden building, about one and a half stories tall. It has a sloped roof with windows sticking out on all sides. The lighthouse tower is made of painted brick and is about 40 feet (12 m) high. It stands right in the center of the house. The light itself is a special type called a VRB-25 aerobeacon. It was put in a new lantern house in 1986. This light flashes red every 40 seconds to guide boats.
The foghorn building is made of brick. It has a roof that slopes on all sides. This building is located southwest of the main lighthouse.
History of Egg Rock Light
When it was first built, Egg Rock Light used a special lens called a fifth-order Fresnel lens. This type of lens helped make the light very bright. In 1904, the foghorn building was added. Back then, the foghorn was powered by steam!
In 1976, the United States Coast Guard made the lighthouse automatic. This meant no one had to live there anymore to operate it. Many of the smaller buildings around the lighthouse were taken down, except for the foghorn station. The old lantern house was also removed, and the new aerobeacon light was put in.
However, people really missed the old look of the lighthouse. So, after many protests, a new lantern house was put back in 1986. The Coast Guard still manages the light today. You can't visit the lighthouse or the island. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service owns the island and its buildings.
Images for kids
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Egg Rock Light
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Egg Rock Light
