The Cuckolds Light, known as the Cuckolds Island Fog Signal and Light Station or just Cuckolds Light Station, is a lighthouse located on the eastern pair of

islets An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

known as the "Cuckolds" in Lincoln County,

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 ...

. The islets are southeast and in sight of Cape Island, that is just off the southern tip of Cape Newagen on Southport Island, south of Booth Bay, that leads to

Boothbay Harbor Boothbay Harbor is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,027 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bayville, Sprucewold, and West Boothbay Harbor. During summer months, the entire Boothbay Harbor regio ...

, Maine. The fog station was first established as a

daymark A daymark is a navigational aid for sailors and pilots, distinctively marked to maximize its visibility in daylight. The word is also used in a more specific, technical sense to refer to a signboard or daytime identifier that is attached to ...

on November 16, 1892, for marking the islets and Collector ledge replacing a 57-foot-tall wooden tripod, In 1893 a bell was installed and a light was added in 1907. The keepers house was demolished following the 1974 decommission but was rebuilt from 2010 to 2014, along with the wharf, and the lighthouse restored. The Cuckolds Light was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

listings in Lincoln County, Maine as Cuckolds Light Station on December 2, 2002.

History

The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

appropriated funding through the Lighthouse commission and authorized the building of the lighthouse August 30, 1890, but the $25,000 funding was not provided until March 3, 1891. The station commenced operation in 1892 with duplicated four horsepower coal-fired engines, compressors, and tanks, along with hot air first-order Daboll trumpets. Material for construction included 105 yards of granite, 60,000 bricks, 430 casks of cement, 100 tons of sand, 200 tons of broken stone and pebbles, 70,000 feet of lumber, and included 3,400 pounds of wrought-iron work. The granite was used for the foundation and the lighthouse was attached to this for stability. A radio transmitter was installed in 1956.

Light

In 1907 a Fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed. The early coal fired system used approximately seven tons of coal to run around 1000 hours and when converted to oil ran 423 hours on 195 gallons of oil. The original 24,000

candlepower Candlepower (abbreviated as cp or CP) is a unit of measurement for luminous intensity. It expresses levels of light intensity relative to the light emitted by a candle of specific size and constituents. The historical candlepower is equal to 0.981 ...

, provided by an incandescent oil vapor lamp, was increased to 30,000 candlepower powered by an electric lamp and the fourth-order lens, and by 1971 to 500,000 candlepower.

Deactivation and transfer

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1974 and listed as

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

surplus property. The non-profit ''Cuckolds Island Fog Signal and Light Station Council'' was formed and submitted a 542-page proposal that was accepted and the deed transferred on May 8, 2006.

Current

In June 2014 the ''Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse'' opened, being rebuilt as well as the lighthouse restored, and is advertised as a luxurious retreat providing "pampered luxury" for upward of $3000 a weekend. Tours will be held and transportation to the island will be provided in a restored

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

whaleboat. The Fresnel lens, removed when the light was decommissioned, is housed at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland. The lighthouse is currently equipped with a VRB-25 and remains an active aid to navigation, maintained by the Coast Guard.

References

External links