Seguin Island Light Station, Georgetown Maine
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- Maine
- Lighthouse
Seguin Island Light Station is the second oldest on the Coast of Maine, construction having started in 1790, five years after the completion of Portland Head Light. The original wooden tower was completed in 1797 at a cost of $6,300. This was replaced in 1820 by a stone tower costing $2,500. In 1857, the present granite structure was erected at a cost of $35,000. Replacement of the first two towers was probably necessitated, or at least hastened, by the damp climate of Seguin Island, which has experienced as many as 2734 hours of fog in one year, making it the foggiest light station in the U.S. The tower is only 53 feet high. However, because of the headland on which the tower stands, the focal plane of the light is 180 feet above the sea.
For many years local folklore maintained that pirate treasure was buried on Seguin Island. On 5th February 1936, the Bureau of Lighthouses granted a revocable license to Mr. Archie Lane of Northeast Harbor, Maine, to dig for the alleged treasure. The hunt was concluded unsuccessfully in November 1936.
The "Seguin", the oldest steam-powered tug in Maine, and possibly in the country, was named for Seguin Island. The tugboat is now located at the Bath Marine Museum.
Seguin Island Light Station continues to exemplify America's commitment to the safety of life and property at sea as an integral element of its social and commercial policies.
Site Description
Seguin Island Light Station occupies the entire Seguin Island, Georgetown, Maine. One half of the Island was ceded to the Federal Government by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1794, and the remainder in 1797. All of the improvements on the island have been constructed by the U.S. Coast Guard or its predecessors.
The Keepers Quarters was built in 1857 of red brick. It is a 1½ story duplex.
The Light Tower is 53 feet tall, but because of the headland on which the tower stands, the focal plane of the light is 180 feet above the sea. It has a First-Order Fresnel lens, and is the only First-Order lens in the state.
Other structures at the station include; cistern, oil house (1892), 1 boathouse with a ramp & electric winch, 1 wharf, 1 donkey house with a diesel engine, and an operating tramway.
Aerial (1966)
Shed, Railroad, Keeper'S House, Light Tower and Boathouse Northeast Side of Shed, Keeper'S House and Tower, East and North Sides of Boathouse (1991)
Shed, Railroad, Light Tower and Boathouse Northeast and Northwest Sides of Shed, Northeast Side of Tower, East and North Sides of Boathouse (1991)
Railroad Viaduct, Keeper'S House, Light Tower and Shed Southeast Side of Viaduct, Southeast and Northeast Sides of Keeper'S House, Tower and Shed (1991)
Keeper'S House and Light Tower Northeast and Northwest Sides (1991)
Light Tower and Keeper'S House Southwest and Southeast Sides (1991)
Light Tower and Keeper'S House Northwest and Southwest Sides (1991)
Light Tower, Entrance (1991)
Oil House South and East Sides (1991)
