Bear Island is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

located in

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, United States. It is one of the five islands of the Town of Cranberry Isles. The island is located just off Northeast Harbor and south of

Mount Desert Island Mount Desert Island (MDI; french: Île des Monts Déserts) in Hancock County, Maine, is the largest island off the coast of Maine. With an area of it is the 52nd-largest island in the United States, the sixth-largest island in the contiguous ...

Bear Island Light Bear Island Light is a lighthouse on Bear Island near Mt. Desert Island, at the entrance to Northeast Harbor, Maine. It was first established in 1839. The present structure was built in 1889. It was deactivated in 1981 and relit as a private a ...

sits on the western end of the island. It was built in 1889 and staffed until 1981. The lighthouse is now a private aid to navigation and a private residence. The rest of the island has belonged to the Dunbar family since 1884 (or 1886), after it was bought by Harvard professor Charles F. Dunbar.

References

* * * * Islands of Hancock County, Maine Islands of Maine Coastal islands of Maine {{Maine-geo-stub