A Lighthouse has been on this site since 1812
Boon Island Light Station, York Maine
The Boon Island Light Station towers above this small rock island located approximately six miles off the Maine coast. It contains the tallest light tower in Maine and is the southernmost of the seacoast lights.
Boon Island Light Station was established during the War of 1812 and is the seventh oldest station in Maine. In the 1850s, when a comprehensive classification of lights was instituted, Boon Island was ranked as a primary seacoast station, one of only six such lights in Maine in 1861. Widely spaced along the coast, these stations were crucial navigational aid in the major shipping lanes linking Maine to Europe and other United States ports. In 1978 this station was automated by the Coast Guard, and many of its outbuildings were subsequently removed.
The light tower at Boon Island is the third such structure on the site. The original tower was destroyed in 1831, subsequently rebuilt and then finally replaced by the present granite tower.
Site Description
At nearly 123 feet in height, the Boon Island Light Tower is the tallest such structure along the Maine coast. The handsome tapered granite tower rises between the ruins of the former keeper's house, and a modern generator shed.
The 1855 tower is constructed of ashlar granite punctuated by two opposing vertical rows of seven windows each. A wide conical base supports the shaft of the tower which rises to a wide molded band situated below the protruding parapet. This narrow parapet frames a tall granite shaft that carries the lantern. A domed roof caps the lantern and its modern beacon. The interior of the tower houses the circular stair that leads to a door at the parapet. Structural reinforcement of the tower was made in 1888 following a severe storm of the previous season. This consisted of the placement of steel bars in the gallery and upper section of the shaft.
The ruins of the former keeper's house include only the first-story exterior granite walls. This building was constructed in 1855 and substantially remodeled in 1889 when the interior was completely rebuilt and a frame upper story added.
The Generator Shed is a rectangular block building that was constructed to house the generators that supply emergency power to the station.
Nearby is a small Shed. This small frame building appears to be a remnant of the boathouse that occupied this spot. Walkways lead to the shed and a boat slip runs to the shore.
