Pond Island Light
Rocky, ten-acre, Pond Island at the mouth of the Kennebec River, off Popham Beach, has no pond; the origin of the name is unknown.
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Soldiers were quartered on the island during the War of 1812 to prevent the British from entering the Kennebec and the island was a transfer point for steamer passengers in the 1820's.
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The first stone lighthouse was built on the island in 1821, marking the east side entrance to the Kennebec River, about two miles northwest of Seguin Island.
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This structure lasted until 1855 when the present 20-foot brick tower was constructed and fitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens.
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Pond Island light was automated in 1963 and all the buildings except the lighthouse tower were destroyed by the Coast Guard.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now manages the island as a bird refuge.
The light may be viewed distantly from the Popham Beach Area.
Closer views are available from Maine Maritime Museum tours or Kennebec Adventure Tours.
You can find them here http://www.kennebecjetboat.com/
All text copyright ã 1999 by Courtney Thompson/CatNap Publications. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.
All images copyright ã 2001 by Richard Asarisi/Photoworkings.com. All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted, in any form without prior written permission from the publisher.