Libby Island Light is a
lighthouse on Libby Island, marking the mouth of
Machias Bay
Machias Bay is a bay in Washington County, Maine that opens into the Gulf of Maine.
The bay was the scene of the Battle of Machias — the first naval battle of the American Revolution, occasioned by the British need for lumber for Boston.
L ...
, in
Machiasport,
Maine
Maine () is a U.S. state, state in the New England and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and territories of Canad ...
.
The light station was established in 1817 and is an active
aid to navigation; the present granite tower was built in 1823 and improved in 1848. Libby Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Libby Island Light Station on June 18, 1976.
Description and history
Libby Island Light is located on South Libby Island, one of two islands (collectively known as the Libby Islands) marking the southernmost approach to Machias Bay on the northeastern coast of Maine. The light station's principal feature is the lighthouse, an unpainted conical granite tower in height, with its base in diameter and its upper parapet in diameter. The tower is located on the southern shore of the island, with a fog signal house to its west. A boat landing is located on the northern shore of the island, and a small helipad is near its center.
The light station was authorized in 1817, and its first tower was a wood-frame structure that was blown down about 1822. The present tower was built in 1823,
and a keeper's house added the following year.
[ A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower in 1855, and a fog signal and several outbuildings were built the following year. The present fog signal house was built in 1884. Only the light tower, the fog signal house, and the boat launch still survive, all other buildings, including the keepers' houses, were removed. The light was automated in 1974, and converted to solar power in 2000.]Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge
Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge in the state of Maine. It is one of the five refuges that together make up the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge, along with Cross Island, Franklin Island, Seal Is ...
in 1998. The Island is closed to visitors during the bird nesting season, and the tower is maintained as an active aid to navigation by the USCG and is closed to the public.
See also
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Maine
Archives and records
Libby Island, Maine Lighthouse Receipt Book
at Baker Library Special Collections, Harvard Business School.
*''Lighthouse in My Life.''
References
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Lighthouses completed in 1823
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
Lighthouses in Washington County, Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Maine
1823 establishments in Maine