Petit Manan Light Station, Milbridge Maine

Date added: August 25, 2024

Categories:
Maine
Lighthouse

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The original light station on Petit Manan Island was completed in 1817. The importance of this location is demonstrated by that fact that this was the 8^th light built in Maine, of 66 eventually constructed, and the 37^th in the U.S., out of 1600. This first light was visible at 14 miles, used metal reflectors, and appears to have been typical of many early American lights in its construction and equipment.

Investigations by the newly created Lighthouse Board in the early 1850's revealed the inadequacy of American lighthouses, both in number and design. The Petit Manan Light was found to be both too weak and too low in focal plane (53 feet) considering the ever-increasing use of the Northern shipping lanes during this period. Therefore a new light tower with a Fresnel lens was commissioned in 1854, accompanied by a replacement of the ancillary buildings comprising the station. This is the present light tower completed in 1855. With a focal plane of 123 feet, the imposing granite tower has been a very important light, serving not only local fishermen and boaters, but also the offshore shipping and fishing industries. Petit Manan has undoubtedly had an impact on safety of ships on the coast. It is the first light seen by ships from Canada or Europe using the northern shipping lanes. As such, it guided substantial numbers of vessels in international traffic. It also guided coastal vessels entering five local bays in an area noted during the period of significance for shipbuilding, timber harvest, and fishing industries; and guided local fishermen in their daily routine.

The need for a light at this location is further demonstrated by the fact that prior to 1935, 27 vessels are recorded as needing assistance within sight of the light, including two captured and burned by the Confederate raider Alabama during the Civil War. Most of these vessels were coastal cargo and fishing schooners, indicative of the volume of this traffic along the Maine coast during this period, but a few more unusual vessels also wrecked nearby (such as the early paddle steamer "New York", which burned and sank in 1826). The relatively early installation of a fog signal (1869) is also indicative of the importance of this light and the hazards of the area. (In 1880, over 70% of America's light stations had still not been so equipped). During World Wars I and II, Petit Manan was particularly important to coastal defense as a lookout tower for foreign ships and submarines, due to its location 2 miles off the mainland.

Petit Manan Light Station is today one of the most complete examples of an island light station on the Maine Coast. It includes examples of all the essential ancillary buildings of a late 19th-century island station and (with the exception of the demolished 1855 keeper's dwelling) and a few minor outbuildings appears substantially as it did when constructed.

The light tower is one of the 4 tallest in New England, and the second-highest in Maine. As such, it reflects state-of-the-art design at the time of construction. The tower at Boon Island Light Station is the only one of these similar in date and design, and both exhibited the same construction flaws necessitating repairs in 1887. There have been no notable alterations to the exterior of the tower since that date although the light mechanism has undergone the series of necessary modernizations typical of an active station.

The remaining buildings at this station are typical of vernacular structures built by the Lighthouse Service during the last quarter of the 19^th century. Again, while all have undergone modernization and use changes in the 20^th century, their exterior have never undergone significant modification. The electrification of the station in 1938 decreased the need for some of the ancillary structures, and all were made obsolete by automation of the light in 1972. Because of these modernizations to the light, the ancillary structures remained essentially as they appeared between 1876 and 1937, with some deterioration due to weather conditions coupled with only limited maintenance since 1972.

Site Description

Petit Manan Light Station is located on Petit Manan Island, a rocky and windblown site 2 miles from the mainland. Features include the keeper's dwelling, rain shed, generator building, paint locker, and boat house.

The light tower is of unusual height for the period of construction and of impressive appearance. The remaining buildings are vernacular in appearance, typical of their period and function, and constitute an unusually complete complex.

The first light on Petit Manan was commissioned on April 27^th, 1816, and the island was acquired on June 15^th, 1816, from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The first tower was 25 feet in height and was located several yards south of the present tower. The station at that time consisted of a rubblestone keeper's dwelling, frame privy, and rubblestone light. The tower contained 13 whale oil lamps (probably Argand cylindrical wicks) each with a 15-inch reflector. The focal plane was 53 feet above sea level and could be seen for 14 miles. It was completed in 1817. The payroll ledgers of the Lighthouse Administration list Jeremiah Leighton as the first keeper. In 1831 an inspection discovered that Leighton had left the island, leaving his wife and son tending the light. She sought a permanent appointment as keeper of the light, but was turned down. However, she was paid for the job and thus became the first woman lightkeeper in the United States.

The tower was extensively rebuilt between 1823 and 1825, with the number of lamps reduced to eight, (having 9-inch reflectors). In 1843 the number of lamps was again increased to 13. In 1852, a 1,200-pound, hand-rung brass fog bell was installed. A photograph (probably dated 1870) shows the old tower still in place; however, an 1889 photograph does not show the old tower. It presumably was torn down to provide stone foundations for the several buildings built during this period. In 1876 and 1899 cellars were dug for the two dwellings and rubblestone foundations were constructed, possibly out of the old tower and dwelling.

The present light tower, constructed of ashlar masonry was commissioned by the U.S. Lighthouse Board in 1854 and completed in 1855 by the Corps of Engineers. It was built of local granite quarried on the mainland. The circular stone tower is 109 feet high, 20 feet in diameter at the base, and 12 feet in diameter at the top. It is topped by a two-story, 12-sided iron and glass lantern and watch room, giving the light itself a focal plane of 123 feet, the second highest in Maine. The cast iron capping was added to the tower in 1882. The original cast iron gargoyles were removed before automation; one is on display at the Shore Village Museum in Rockland.

The interior of the tower is lined with brick, with a cast iron spiral staircase containing 147 steps. Eighteen of the steps were damaged in 1869 when a chain holding the weights broke. The repairs to the steps can still be seen.

Following a series of unusually strong storms (1856 and 1886) which loosened the top two courses of the tower, six sets of one and one/half inch tie rods were added to the exterior for stabilization, in the summer of 1887. Similar repairs were performed at the same time at Boon Island Light, the tallest in Maine, which had been built in 1852 to similar design.

There were originally 11 windows in the tower. The bottom two have been bricked up to prevent unauthorized entry. The remaining nine contain structural glass block "panes".

The lens was a second order Fresnel lens (having 27.6" between flame and lens), manufactured by Henri Lepante of Paris. Originally, a fixed light fueled by whale oil lamps, it had a 17-mile visibility. In 1857 it was converted to a "fixed light varied by flashes", caused by three panels revolving on belt driven chariot wheels, driven by a system of pulleys and weights that had to be hand-wound every five and one-half hours. The panels made one complete rotation every six minutes; therefore, every 110 seconds there would be a 10-second "pause" as a panel obscured the light.

The whale oil was replaced by colza, then lard oil, and in 1917 by kerosene vapor lamps which increased the visibility to 22 miles. In 1938 electricity came to the station and the oil lamps were replaced by electric bulbs of 330,000 candlepower. At this time it was the second most powerful light in Maine. In 1939 Petit Manan became a "stag" (men only) station.

The old weight and pully system was replaced by electric motors in 1965. The Fresnel lens itself remained until the station was automated in 1972, when it was replaced by a 2,000 watt rotating aircraft beacon. The lens was dismantled and transported to Rockland where it is on display at the Shore Village Museum.

A "fog bell machine" was installed in 1855. The original bell cracked and was replaced in 1868 by a 1500-pound bell manufactured by the McShane Bell Foundry, Baltimore, MD. This bell is now on display at the Milbridge Elementary School. An 1892 map shows the small bell frame (now removed) south of the generator building.

A steam fog signal was added in 1869, replaced in 1889, rebuilt in 1892, and finally replaced in 1938 by a diaphragm airhorn which still operates today at the base of the tower.

Attached to the tower is a small brick room that was the passageway to the 1855 keeper's house. It now houses the emergency generator and other electronic equipment. The light tower and attached former passageway are enclosed by a chain link fence and are owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard. The remainder of the buildings are within Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge.

A l 1/2 story Greek Revival style frame double house was built at the same time as the present tower. A new cellar was built for the house and it was moved several yards north in 1899. It was torn down in the 1950s. The later cellar hole is still present, partially filled with debris.

A second keeper's dwelling was built in 1876. It is a single-family, two-story frame house with asbestos shingles over the original clapboards. It is approximately 24 x 30 feet over a full rubblestone cellar. It contains four rooms on the first floor: a kitchen with storm porch, pantry, living room, front hallway with storm porch; and four rooms on the second floor: three bedrooms and a bath.

The interior consists of lath plaster with plain pine molding and is gradually deteriorating due to lack of heat and the constant dampness. The kitchen and bath have been modernized with plumbing fixtures and metal cabinets. The house has modern plumbing and wiring, both of which have deteriorated and cannot be used. A rusted, unusable furnace and water cistern are in the basement. A drilled well is near the house; however, it is unusable due to saltwater intrusion. A septic tank is located west of the house. A single-walled brick chimney is present, but the mortar is rapidly deteriorating and some flashing is missing. The roof is red asphalt shingles, somewhat deteriorated. The wooden gutters were once connected to the cistern system, but have been disconnected.

The dwelling and ancillary structures were turned over to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1974 and have been unoccupied since. Unsecured for 10 years, the dwelling was secured with plywood shutters in 1984. It was cleaned out and minor repairs were made in 1984 and 1985 to prevent further deterioration.

The date of construction of the adjacent 18 x 28-foot rain shed is unknown; it may be part of a larger rain shed built in 1868 and standing complete in 1892. It was undoubtedly built before 1899. It consists of a brick kneewall and frame roof, finished with deteriorated cedar shakes. The interior is unfinished and has a concrete floor. An addition to the 1868 building, since torn down, was used as a schoolroom when the three keepers' families had enough children to warrant a school and school teacher.

The paint shed was originally built in 1876 as an engine building to house the spare fog signal. It is a somewhat deteriorated 32 x 14-foot stuccoed brick building, painted white. It has an asphalt roof with a small wooden cupola. The interior consists of two rooms: one has a dry cistern and the other contains shelves. An 1892 map labels it as the oil house. This may have been in addition to the fog signal functions. It was used most recently as a paint/oil storage shed.

The 32 X 32-foot generator building dates from 1887 when it was built as a boiler house for the fog signal. It's design is similar to that of West Quoddy Head Light Station. The original water storage cisterns are gone. It is a brick building with red asphalt shingle roof. It was used most recently to house the diesel generators. The eaves are badly rotted. The interior consists of one large room with a concrete floor.

The date of construction of the boat house is uncertain; however, it dates to at least 1868, and was enlarged in 1900. It is a frame structure with little or no foundation. It has a cedar shingle roof with clapboard siding, and has been severely damaged by winter storms. There are large holes in the siding and in the roof. The sills are severely rotted. The steam winch has been stripped by vandals and is unusable. The wooden boat slip is still in place and is maintained somewhat by the Coast Guard.

Coal was used to fuel the fog signal boilers and to heat the houses. A 760-foot tramway was built in 1899 to get the coal from the landing to the light. It was rebuilt in 1904 and was removed and replaced by a boardwalk, presumably after electrification in 1938. An 1892 plan shows several other structures with no surface evidence today: wood house, privy, shop, and pig house.