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American Lighthouse Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 565
Rockland,
Maine 04841
Phone: 207-594-4174
Fax: 207-596-1091
info@lighthousefoundation.org
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a
Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization dedicated to the
preservation of America's historic
lighthouses & lightships and
their heritage.
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Pemaquid Point Light Inspires Visitors to
Appreciate and Learn About Our Lighthouse Heritage
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The
beautiful Pemaquid Point Light is the State of Maine’s only land-base
lighthouse that is open to the general public for climbing thanks to the
American Lighthouse Foundation and its dedicated chapter, the
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Friends of
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. Visitors to the historic tower not only are
provided the opportunity to retrace the steps of bygone keepers, they
are also treated to a breathtaking view of the surrounding seascape atop
the beacon. The magnificent Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
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Photo Courtesy Sue Clark
A couple admire the lovely
Fourth Order Fresnel Lens
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experience doesn’t
stop there though. So just what are the many other feelings and questions
that this charming lighthouse inspires in a visitor?
The
following report by Sue Clark and Caren Clark of the Friends of Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse shed “light” on these questions and more as to why Pemaquid
Point Light is so beloved…
- “It (the lens) is like a jewel.”
- “I can see why you tell people not to touch
the lens, it just calls out to you.”
- “Lighthouses are Maine's castles.”
- “Thanks for keeping the lighthouse opened.”
- “I've visited Pemaquid Point ever since I
was a kid, but this is the first time I will be going up in the tower."
- “It is a special place and I feel lucky to
be able to climb it”
- "This lighthouse is beautiful and this
place is magical!"
These are
just some of the comments made by the thousands of visitors from around the
world to the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in |
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Photo Courtesy Sue Clark
Four visitors posing for the
camera while waiting
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Bristol,
Maine. The Friends of Pemaquid Point
Lighthouse host mini-tours of the tower daily from Memorial Day weekend
through Columbus Day weekend and are expecting over 25,000 visitors this
year alone.
Visitors young and old climb the 30 step |
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spiral staircase and the steep
ladder through the hatchway to view the 149 year old Fourth Order Fresnel
Lens that is still providing guidance to mariners today. From the tower, one
can see (on a clear day) other lighthouses in the area. The granite ledges
below, hundreds of millions of years old, are washed clean by the pounding
waves of the Atlantic providing magnificent photo opportunities.
When
visitors reach the lantern room, most often you’ll hear them say, "Wow!"
"Awesome!" "Cool!" People are very excited when they learn this |
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is the lighthouse
on the state quarter issued in 2003, and often a parent will say to
their child, “That'll be a great thing to say in your report on what you
did this summer." One young girl wrote in the guestbook, “It was so
beautiful, but kind of scary climbing the stairs.”
People
visit the |
Photo Courtesy Sue Clark
Volunteer Jack Brown with two young
boys waiting their turn to climb
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lighthouse for many reasons.
One woman,
who was the daughter of the last lighthouse keeper on Goat Island, said she
just wanted to climb up a lighthouse tower without having rags and cleaning
solution in her hand, one of her chores as a lighthouse keeper’s daughter.
Another woman said she’d never before been in a lighthouse, and climbed the
tower twice with her young daughter, imparting her enthusiasm to a new
generation.
Two women
that had been at the Audubon Birding Camp on nearby Loud’s Island had been
given the use of the camp car on the mainland for the day and said this was
the first place they wanted to see. With their birding binoculars they were
able to spot most of the other lighthouses visible from the tower. Recently,
a retired lighthouse keeper visited.
Sometimes
visitors surprise the volunteers. On a recent Saturday two nine year old
boys visited the light with their father. One brother, Ian, said he’d been
here last year and just wanted to show his brother |
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Photo Courtesy Sue Clark
Volunteer Doug Clark explaining the
Fresnel lens to an enthralled
youngster
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Braedon the
lighthouse. Well, Ian proceeded to give a better tour than most docents,
showing his brother the picture of the lens displayed at the base of the
tower and warning Braedon not to touch the lens. He also explained that
this was a special lens to reflect the light far out to sea, even using
technical terms in his |
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discourse. At the
top, they both peppered volunteer docent Doug Clark with questions, who
later said, “I think those two were testing me. I hope I passed.” He must
have…he received a hug from the boys afterward and was told “I want to
volunteer with you.”
On the
wall at the tower is a stamp issued in Russia that has a picture of Pemaquid
Point Lighthouse on it. First Vice-President Joe Ponti had some visitors
from Siberia who were able to translate the writing on |
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this stamp.
Visitors from Italy write “Fantastico” in the guest book. Treasurer
Caren Clark has repeat visitors who come to hear her tales of Lighthouse
Lore, and on a recent Sunday, the granddaughter of the last Franklin
Island Lighthouse Keeper visited, along with the grandson of another.
Pemaquid Point’s beauty has even attracted a production company, who on
a recent day filmed a music video with Country Western singer Blake
Shelton in the tower. The lighthouse has been featured in
advertisements, for everything |
Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse |
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from a poster ad for
the Veterans’ games at Togus USVA Hospital to a poster ad for Fisher
snowplows.
Young or
old, local or from away, virtually everyone who descends the spiral
staircase has the same comment, “Thank you so much for keeping this
lighthouse open.”
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