Shine on!

Midcoast Maine is the ideal place to explore lighthouses. And taking a tour of Maine’s famed lights just may be one of the best ways to discover many of the region’s secrets, along with its history.
While most lighthouses are now automated, these beacons remain symbols of independence and tenacity, and one of the first signs of humanity and civilization to be glimpsed by sailors upon the vast ocean.
Maine’s Midcoast is home to some of the state’s most accessible lighthouses, including the Rockland Breakwater Light, Marshall Point Light in St. George and Owls Head Light, all of which are located on lands open to the public.

ROCKLAND BREAKWATER LIGHT

The Rockland Breakwater Light is located on a striking rock formation, this one made by man.
Between 1881 and 1899, as Rockland become a leading port for export of lime rock, a .8 mile-long stone jetty, of massive granite blocks, was built at the entrance to the harbor. As the work progressed in piecemeal fashion, a small beacon was moved further out as the breakwater extended. In 1902 a permanent lighthouse was built at the breakwater’s end, and a 25-foot brick tower was added atop the roof of the keeper’s house. While best views are from the water (the Vinalhaven and North Haven ferry, tour boats and schooners pass by numerous times each day), a walk down the length of the breakwater is a memorable experience and good exercise.
There is also a great place to take children fishing for mackerel during the summer and for getting close-up views of lobster fishermen hauling their crustacean-filled traps.
It’s expected that water launch service to the lighthouse will begin this summer from the Rockland Public Landing.
The lighthouse is now owned by the City of Rockland and leased to the Friends of Rockland Breakwater, a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
• Directions: From U.S. Route 1, turn onto Waldo Avenue (“Samoset Resort” sign). Continue for about 0.5 mile, turning right at Samoset Road. The road ends at parking area. The breakwater, to the left of a small park area, leads about 0.8 mile to the lighthouse. It’s a great walk but watch your step between the blocks of granite.

OWLS HEAD LIGHT

The lighthouse at Owls Head, at the entrance to Rockland Harbor, is a great place for exploring tidal pools, to have a family picnic, even go for a (very) brisk swim. The 20-foot brick tower is unusually short — the height of the promontory made a tall lighthouse unnecessary — still putting the light at 100 feet above sea level.
The 1854 keeper’s house remains a residence for Coast Guard personnel and the surrounding grounds are now a state park. The bell tower is gone but the 1895 oil house remains. The lighthouse is easily accessible with parking nearby; ferries and excursion boats also pass the light.
• Directions: From U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston/Rockland, turn south onto Route 73 and continue about two miles, turning left onto North Shore Drive in Owls Head. Go about 2.5 miles, turning left at the Owls Head General Store and go past the Owls Head Post Office, onto Main
Street. Continue to Lighthouse Road (marked) and turn left; the road
becomes a dirt road and leads to a parking and picnic area. A short walk takes you to the lighthouse. The keeper’s house is occupied by a Coast Guard family. Trails lead to a rocky beach area and there are ample picnic spots scattered across the property.
Ferries, harbor tour boats, windjammers and charter boat excursions all pass this light.

MARSHALL POINT LIGHTHOUSE

Marking the eastern side of the south entrance to Port Clyde Harbor, the Marshall Point Light was built in 1832. This spot is so popular that gridlock has been known to develop in its small parking area in summer. No matter, this is a lighthouse that needs to be a “must” on your tour agenda.
The lighthouse is connected to the shore by a wooden walkway and resembles the Isle au Haut and Ram Island Lights. A bell tower with 1,000-pound bronze bell was added in 1898 and remained in use until it was replaced by a horn in 1969. The original 1832 keeper’s house was destroyed by lightning in 1895 and replaced with the present dwelling. The property was acquired by the Town of St. George. The structure has been greatly restored by the Marshall Point Restoration Committee.
The Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum displays memorabilia relating to the town and three area lighthouses: Tenants Harbor, Whitehead and Marshall Point. Most recently the summer kitchen has been rebuilt as an addition to the museum.
Inside the keeper’s house/museum; the case displays miniature lobster buoys identifying local fishermen.
When you’re done enjoying the lighthouse, be sure to explore the village of Port Clyde. It’s a true Maine fishing village with a traditional country store that needs to be seen. The nearby Drift In Beach is perfect for children, especially at low tide.
• Directions: From U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston, take Route 131 south through St. George and Tenant’s Harbor to Port Clyde. Turn left at the “Marshall Point Museum” sign (Dick Cliff Road). Continue up the hill, passing another sign for the museum, and turn right onto Marshall Point Road. Pass a “Dead End” sign and two stone pillars on either side of the narrowing road. The road ends at the lighthouse parking area. The passenger ferry out of Port Clyde to Monhegan Island passes this light.

GRINDLE POINT LIGHT

Islesboro is a 10-mile long narrow island in upper Penobscot Bay. Located on the north side of the entrance to Gilkey Harbor, the original 28-foot tower was established in 1851. The tower was rebuilt in 1874 after succumbing to the elements, a 39-foot square brick tower attached by covered walkway to the 1-1/2 story keeper’s house. Both structures still remain. A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed; a boathouse was added in 1886 and an oil house in 1906. In 1934 Grindle Point Light was deactivated and replaced by a nearby skeleton light. Fifty three years later, Islesboro residents convinced the Coast Guard to recommission Grindle Point lighthouse in 1987; a solar-powered optic was installed and the skeleton tower removed.
The Islesboro Sailor’s Memorial Museum is now located in the keeper’s house and the 1881 fogbell on the south side of the light tower is on loan from the Shore Village Museum in Rockland. Although distantly visible from the mainland, the relatively short ferry trip between Lincolnville and Islesboro docks next to the lighthouse — the three-mile crossing takes 20 minutes each way.
• Directions: Route 1 to Lincolnville (north from Camden,south from Belfast). Follow signs to Islesboro Ferry. There is parking adjacent to the ferry landing.

CURTIS ISLAND LIGHT

In the early 1600s Captain John Smith arrived in Camden harbor. With him on the voyage was a black cook who allowed that if he could have any place in the world, the small island would be the place. Captain Smith then awarded the cook ownership, whereupon the island became “Negro Island.”
More than 200 years later, the first brick lighthouse on the five-acre island at the entrance to Camden Harbor was built in 1835. Marking the south side of the harbor entrance, the initial tower was replaced with the present 25-foot brick tower in 1896. The keeper’s house had been rebuilt in 1889 and a boathouse added. A fourth-order Fresnel lens also was installed. The island’s name was changed in 1934 to Curtis Island in memory of Cyrus H.K. Curtis, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post and longtime summer resident and benefactor of Camden.
In 1972 the light was automated and the Fresnel lens removed; the town of Camden acquired the property surrounding the lighthouse the following year. Although there are several loc

ations along the shore offering distant views of this light, it is best seen and photographed by boat or air. Any of the sight-seeing or windjammer cruises departing from Camden Harbor will pass immediately in front of the lighthouse and afford excellent views.
• Directions: U.S. Route 1 to Camden. Turn onto Bayview Street, then left to the town wharf. Arrangements may be made to go to Curtis Island for the day or for a few hours to enjoy the park. The light also may be seen well in winter through the trees further up Bayview Street.

MONHEGAN ISLAND LIGHT

Viewing this lighthouse requires a day-trip on the Monhegan Ferry — in advance, you can also arrange overnight accommodations. Exploring Monhegan will leave you with memories you will carry evermo

re.
Reportedly, more than 600 varieties of wild flowers can be found on Monhegan, with more than 200 bird species logged. The island also is a summer art colony, and has, in past years, attracted writers, naturalists and artists including Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, Rockwell Kent, George Bellows and Andrew Winter.
• Directions: Monhegan Island is reached by boat from Booth

bay Harbor, New Harbor or Port Clyde.

PEMAQUID POINT LIGHT

Offering some of the most majestic, stark, and striking scenery on the Maine coast, this lighthouse sits atop unique rock formations which reflect the result of waves pounding this area in strong storms.
This light is located at the west side of the entrance to Muscongus Bay.
During the years 1903-1917 four major shipwrecks occurred on the rocks at Pemaquid Point, most notable among them the British vessel Angel Gabriel.
The light, visible on a clear day for 14 miles, was the first in Maine to
be automated in 1934. The keeper’s house now houses the Fishermen’s Museum which is operated by the Town of Bristol, displaying artifacts of Maine lighthouses and the fishing/lobster industry. A park area is adjacent to the lighthouse grounds, easily accessible with parking.
The tower is now under the care of the American Lighthouse Foundation.
• Directions: From U.S. Route 1 in Damariscotta, turn onto Route 129/130, then follow Route 130 south to its end at Pemaquid Point. Alternatively, from U.S. Route 1 in Waldoboro, turn south onto Route 32 and follow that route through New Harbor to the junction with Route 130. Turn south (left) onto Route 130 and follow the road to its end at Pemaquid Point. To view the lighthouse by boat, cruises are available out of Boothbay Harbor or from Maine Maritime Museum in Bath.