Eagle Island Light
Eagle Island Light (+44° 13′ 4.00″, -68° 46′ 4.00″) is located in East Penobscot Bay near Deer Isle. It was originally known as Eagle Island Point Light and the island is not to be confused with the other 7 Eagle Islands dotting the coast of Maine. This 30-foot stone lighthouse was built in 1839. The light is an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation with a characteristic of flashing white every 4 seconds. There is no fog signal.
In 1837, as Bangor continued to grow into one of the busiest lumber ports in the world, the government appropriated $5000 for a lighthouse on Eagle Island. A conical rubblestone tower, topped by a wrought iron, octagonal copper-topped dome, and a one-and-a-half story rubblestone dwelling was built on the northeastern corner of the island. The original lamps were fueled by whale oil or lard, but by 1877 were converted to kerosene, which was less expensive and gave off a brighter light. The lighthouse’s original characteristic was a fixed white light. In 1858, a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed, and shone from a height of 106 feet above sea level. It was visible for 16 ½ miles.
Eagle Island Light
In 1857, a new dwelling replaced the original. It had three rooms downstairs, four bedrooms on the second story, and a room connecting the dwelling to the tower. Steam heat was added to the dwelling in 1908, and an indoor toilet was installed in 1949.
In 1932, a 4,200-pound, bronze fog bell was installed in a wood-frame pyramidal bell tower. The bell struck a double blow once every 60 seconds.
The light was automated in 1959 and its characteristic changed. An offshore gong buoy replaced the fog bell.
Eagle Island Light
In the early 1960s, the Coast Guard decided to auction off all the buildings, save for the lighthouse, with the condition that the new owner would have to remove the buildings from the property. Mysteriously, no one bid. So, in 1963, a Coast Guard crew from Rockland tore down all of the buildings except for the lighthouse and bell tower. This decision was met with fierce opposition and neighbors even appealed to Senator Margaret Chase Smith, but to no avail.
As the crew tried to remove the two-ton fog bell, they lost it, and it tumbled into the ocean. A local lobsterman, Walter Shephard, later found it and towed it to Great Spruce Head Island, where it is now on display. The 1932 bell tower is left standing intact today.
The lighthouse is now owned by the nonprofit group, the Eagle Light Caretakers. Eagle Island Light is best viewed from the water and is not open to the public.