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Curtis Island Light, originally Negro Island Light, is a
Curtis Island is a teardrop-shaped island off Dillingham Point, which marks the southern end of Camden Harbor. The island is mostly wooded, with a cleared area at its southeastern end where the lighthouse is located. The light station complex consists of a circular brick tower, a -story wood frame keeper's house, a small brick oil house, and a toolshed. The dock is located at the sheltered northwest end of the island, with a path (one of several on the island) connecting the two areas.
The island was known as Negro Island until 1934, when it was renamed Curtis Island in honor of
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
marking the approach to the harbor of Camden, Maine
Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is ...
. It is on Curtis Island, which shelters the harbor from ocean storms. It was first established in 1835, and the present structure was built in 1896. The light was automated in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1973.
Description and history
Curtis Island is a teardrop-shaped island off Dillingham Point, which marks the southern end of Camden Harbor. The island is mostly wooded, with a cleared area at its southeastern end where the lighthouse is located. The light station complex consists of a circular brick tower, a -story wood frame keeper's house, a small brick oil house, and a toolshed. The dock is located at the sheltered northwest end of the island, with a path (one of several on the island) connecting the two areas.
The island was known as Negro Island until 1934, when it was renamed Curtis Island in honor of Cyrus H. K. Curtis
Cyrus Hermann Kotzschmar Curtis (June 18, 1850June 7, 1933) was an American publisher of magazines and newspapers, including the ''Ladies' Home Journal'' and ''The Saturday Evening Post''.Ingham, John N. Biographical Dictionary of American Busine ...
, a publisher and philanthropist who was a frequent visitor. The light was authorized in 1835 and went into service in 1836. The present keeper's house was built in 1889 on the foundation of the original keeper's house, and the light tower was built in 1896. In addition to serving as a marker for the Camden Harbor entrance, the station also served as a signal tower for Bangor-bound ships.
In 1970, a group of local citizens convinced the United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
to turn the light over to the town rather than auction it off. The island is now a town park. The light was automated in 1972, and the property is managed by a town-hired caretaker.
See also
*National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Maine
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Knox County, Maine.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Knox County, Maine, United States ...
References
External links
* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1896 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine Lighthouses in Knox County, Maine Buildings and structures in Camden, Maine National Register of Historic Places in Knox County, Maine