Bass Harbor Head Light, Southwest Harbor, Maine
Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse is located in Southwest Harbor on the southern end of Mt. Desert Island (+44° 13′ 19.00″, -68° 20′ 14.00″). It’s a cylindrical tower attached to a keeper’s house by a short, covered passageway. This 32-foot lighthouse was built in 1858 and is one of the most popular Maine lighthouses to photograph. It sits proudly atop a picturesque, pink cliff and is surrounded by dark evergreens. Though it is only 32 feet high, its light is 56 feet above sea level, thanks to the bluff on which it stands.
A fixed red light went into service on the first of September, 1858. It alerted mariners to the Bass Harbor Bar at the eastern entrance to the harbor. It also marked the southeast entrance to Blue Hill Bay. The original fifth-order Fresnel lens was replaced in 1901 by a fourth-order lens, which was manufactured in Paris by Henry-Lepaute. This lens remains in use today. The light was converted to electric operation in 1949 and is now automated, showing an occulting red light (3 seconds red, then 1 second darkness).
Bass Harbor Head Light, Southwest Harbor, Maine
The original keeper’s house was a 40 x 20′ wooden structure. The home had two stories and five rooms: a living room, kitchen, dining room and two bedrooms. There was an outhouse 50 feet away. In 1900, an addition was built, enlarging the kitchen, and adding an extra bedroom and a new bathroom.
For years, there was no pier at the station so landing a vessel was difficult, but in 1894, a boathouse and slip were added. A winch was added in 1895.
The lighthouse originally featured a hand-rung fog bell. A bell tower was added in 1876, and then in 1897, a brick fog signal building was erected a bit closer to the cliff. In 1898, a 4,000-pound machine-operated fog bell was suspended outside the fog signal building. This giant bronze bell was later replaced by a 1,800-pound version, which was replaced by a 1,500-pound version in 1949. A brick oil house was added in 1902, and a barn in 1905, both of which still stand today.
The last civilian keeper was Morton M. Dyer, who came in 1955. In his career, Dyer spent time at White Island Light in New Hampshire, and at Cuckolds and Deer Island in Maine. Dyer retired in 1957. The keeper’s house is now a private residence for a Coast Guard family.
Today, Bass Harbor is home to the ferry that runs to Swans Island. The station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Free parking is available in a large parking area, but is often limited in the summer months. The grounds are open year round from 9 a.m. to sunset. The lighthouse is not open to the public.
Thanks for the well-written article. I appreciate it. You have a very nice blog.