Mount Desert Light

Mount Desert Light, Mount Desert Rock, 18 miles south of Mount Desert Island, Maine

Originially built in 1830, with a new (the current structure) building erected in 1847.

MOUNT DESERT ROCK LIGHT

MOUNT DESERT ROCK LIGHT 
SOUTH OF MOUNT DESERT ISLAND 
Station Established: 1830 
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1847 
Operational? YES 
Automated? YES 1977 
Deactivated: n/a 
Foundation Materials: SURFACE ROCK 
Construction Materials: GRANITE BLOCKS 
Tower Shape: CONICAL 
Markings/Pattern: NATURAL W/BLACK LANTERN 
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPARATE 
Original Lens: THIRD ORDER, FRESNEL 1858

Historical Information:

• 1830 – Original lighthouse, lantern on top of keeper’s house, built.
• 1847 – Conical tower built for $10,000.
• 1858 – New lantern installed on tower and 3rd order Fresnel lens installed. Bell tower built and fog bell installed.
• 1876 – New Keeper’s house built.
• 1877 – Larger bell and bell tower installed.
• 1889 – Fog bell replaced by steam whistle.
• 1891 – Fog signal building built.
• 1893 – New keeper’s house built.
• 1902 – Tug boat Astral ran aground in the fog. All but one of the crew rescued by keeper and his wife.
• 1931 – Generators installed to provide electricity.
• 1962 – Hurricane Daisy blew through and swept two empty 1500-gallon fuel tanks, a paint locker, concrete walkway and the covered walkway between the tower and keeper’s house into the sea.
  c. mid-1970s – Fresnel lens replaced by aero-beacons, lantern removed.
• 1977 – Light automated
• 1985 – New lantern put on.

Keepers: 

• Esais Preble (1833-1835) 
• William Preble (assistant, 1833-1835)
• Benjamin Ward Jr. (1841-?)
• Jacob L. Richardson (1848-1850)
• David King (1850-1853)
• Rufus King (1853-1859) 
• William H. Ward (assistant, 1855-1858) 
• John Dolliver Jr. (assistant, 1858-1859)
• George Booth (1859-1860) 
• B. Thurber (assistant, 1859-1864)
• Joseph Hopkins (1860-1861)
• William E. Holden (1861-1864)
• Seth H. Higgins (assistant 1864-1865, principal keeper 1865-1867) 
• David Rollins (assistant, 1865-1867) 
• Dan Ladd (assistant, 1865)
• J. A. Williken (1867-1868) 
• William Gilley (assistant, 1867)
• Dan B. Eaton (assistant, 1867-1871)
• Otis W. Kent (1868-1872) 
• Perry W. Richardson (assistant, 1868-1870 and 1871-1872) 
• Amos B. Newman (assistant, 1870-1872, principal keeper 1872-1881) 
• Mark W. Hodgson (assistant, 1872-1882) 
• William P. Sawyer (second assistant 1872-1878)
• James A. Morris (assistant, 1874-1876)
• Frank Collins (assistant, 1876-1877)
• Howard P. Robbins (second assistant 1878-1882)
• James A. Morris (1881-1882)
• Thomas R. Milan (1882-1902) 
• William Stanley (assistant 1882-1883)
• Benjamin Maddox (assistant, 1883-1888)
• Howard M. Gilley (second assistant 1883-1887)
• Lewis F. Sawyer (second assistant 1887-1888, first assistant 1888-1889)
• Willis Dolliver (second assistant 1887-1890, first assistant 1890-1891)
• William J, Newman (second assistant 1890, first assistant 1890)
• Thomas R. Savage (second assistant 1891-1892)
• Orrin L. Milan (second assistant 1892-1895, first assistant 1895-1897)
• Charles Thurston (second assistant 1895-1897, first assistant (1897-1899)
• Fred M. Robbins (second assistant 1898-1899, first assistant 1899-1902, principal keeper (1902-1911) 
• Joseph M. Gray (assistant, c. 1900)
• Bert Richard (assistant, c. 1901)
• Herbert P. Richardson (second assistant c. 1902)
• Charles H. Newman (assistant, c. 1902-1908)
• William H. C. Dodge (second assistant c. 1902-1908)
• Vinal O. Beal (second assistant 1909-1910, first assistant 1910-1911, principal keeper 1911-1918) 
• W. P. Kent (assistant, 1909-1910)
• Wilbert F. Lurney (second assistant 1910, first assistant 1911-unknown)
• Charles A. Radley (second assistant 1911-unknown);
• Arthur Edward Ginn (c. 1918-early 1920s)
• George York (1928-1936)
• Robert G. Wass (c. 1930s) 
• Everett Quinn (assistant c. 1935)
• H. C. Day (assistant c. 1935).
• Ralph Demons (c. 1950)

Researched and written by Marie Vincent, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.