Saddleback Ledge Light
One of the most remote and barren of all Maine lighthouse locations, this light sits atop a rock ledge between Vinalhaven and Isle au Haut, about equidistant from each, at the southern end of Isle au Haut bay.
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The station was established in 1839 and the sturdy 42-foot granite tower still stands.
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Keeper's quarters were located inside the tower; and equipment and boathouse were added later and a fourth-order Fresnel lens added in 1856.
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As on Mt. Desert Rock, the ledge had no soil so keepers at Saddleback Ledge brought soil from the mainland each spring to sustain a small vegetable and flower garden.
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Inevitably, however, the garden was swept away by the first winter storms.
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Difficulty landing at this station prompted installation in 1885 of a derrick with swinging are that held a bosun's chair on a hoist.
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Although a cumbersome and ungainly contraption, keepers and visitors used this means of access from many years.
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The conveyance could take two people at a time and reportedly became somewhat of a tourist attraction.
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The light was automated in 1954, the Fresnel lens replaced by a modern optic and the attached building demolished by the Coast Guard.
Views are possible only by boat or air.
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.