The Cuckolds Light

The Cuckolds Light
Location	Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Coordinates	43°46′46.2″N 69°39′0.017″W / 43.779500°N 69.65000472°W
Tower
Constructed	1892
Automated	1975
Height	14.5 m (48 ft)
Shape	Octagonal Tower on Dwelling
Markings	White
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	HORN: 1 every 15s
Light
First lit	1907 (current structure)
Focal height	59 feet (18 m)
Lens	4th order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 (current)
Range	12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
Characteristic	Fl (2) W 6s
	Cuckolds Light Station
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Southport, Maine
Area	7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built	1892
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	02001413
Added to NRHP	December 2, 2002

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 known as the "Cuckolds" in Lincoln County, Maine, United States.^[2]^[3]^[4] 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, Maine.^[5]

The fog station was first established as a daymark 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 keeper's 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 listings in Lincoln County, Maine as Cuckolds Light Station on December 2, 2002.^[1]

History

The United States Congress 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.^[6]

Light

In 1907, a Fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed. The early coal-fired system used approximately seven tons of coal to run approximately 1000 hours and when converted to oil, ran 423 hours on 195 gallons of oil. The original 24,000 candlepower, 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.^[7]

Deactivation and transfer

The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1974 and listed as United States Coast Guard 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.^[8]

Current

In June 2014 the Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse opened, being rebuilt as well as the lighthouse restored, and was advertised as a luxurious retreat providing "pampered luxury" for upward of $3000 a weekend. Transportation to the island would be provided in a restored United States Navy whaleboat.^[9] The Inn ceased operations in July 2019.^[10]

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

^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-05. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
^ United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 48.
^ Rowlett, Russ (2009-10-03). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
^ Griffes, Peter L. (2003). Atlantic Boating Almanacs: Maine To Cape Cod, Ma. ProStar Publications. pp. 272 (volume 1). ISBN 9781577855019. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ "Cuckolds, ME". 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ "Cuckolds Light Station, 1907". US Coast Guard. 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ Prepelka, Benjamin (2008). "Scenic USA-Maine". Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ Coolidge, Carrie (2015). "The Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse in Southport, Maine Opens its Doors". PubExchange. Retrieved July 29, 2015.
^ Joseph Charpentier (2019). "Boothbay Register". Retrieved December 4, 2023.

External links

Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[2] "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. 2009-08-05. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.

[3] United States Coast Guard (2009). Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey. p. 48.

[rowlett-4] Rowlett, Russ (2009-10-03). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[Atlantic_Boating_Almanac_2004-5] Griffes, Peter L. (2003). Atlantic Boating Almanacs: Maine To Cape Cod, Ma. ProStar Publications. pp. 272 (volume 1). ISBN 9781577855019. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[Lighthouse_Friends-6] "Cuckolds, ME". 2015. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[US_Coast_Guard_history-7] "Cuckolds Light Station, 1907". US Coast Guard. 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[Cuckolds_Island_Light_Station-8] Prepelka, Benjamin (2008). "Scenic USA-Maine". Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[Pursuitist_Luxury-9] Coolidge, Carrie (2015). "The Inn at Cuckolds Lighthouse in Southport, Maine Opens its Doors". PubExchange. Retrieved July 29, 2015.

[Cuckolds_Inn_Closed-10] Joseph Charpentier (2019). "Boothbay Register". Retrieved December 4, 2023.

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v t e Lighthouses of Maine
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Avery Rock Light Baker Island Light Bass Harbor Head Light Bear Island Light Blue Hill Bay Light Boon Island Light Browns Head Light Burnt Coat Harbor Light Burnt Island Light Cape Elizabeth Lights Cape Neddick Light Crabtree Ledge Light The Cuckolds Light Curtis Island Light Deer Isle Thorofare Light Dice Head Light Doubling Point Light Doubling Point Range Lights Eagle Island Light Egg Rock Light Fiddler's Reach Fog Signal Fort Point Light Franklin Island Light Goat Island Light Goose Rocks Light Great Duck Island Light Grindel Point Light Halfway Rock Light Hendricks Head Light Heron Neck Light Indian Island Light Isle au Haut Light Ladies Delight Light Libby Island Light Little River Light Lubec Channel Light Machias Seal Island* Marshall Point Light Matinicus Rock Light Monhegan Island Light Moose Peak Light Mount Desert Light Narraguagus Light Nash Island Light Owls Head Light Pemaquid Point Light Perkins Island Light Petit Manan Light Pond Island Light Portland Breakwater Light Portland Head Light Prospect Harbor Point Light Pumpkin Island Light Ram Island Light Ram Island Ledge Light Rockland Harbor Breakwater Light Saddleback Ledge Light Saint Croix River Light Seguin Light Spring Point Ledge Light Squirrel Point Light Tenants Harbor Light Two Bush Island Light West Quoddy Head Light Whaleback Light Whitehead Light Whitlocks Mill Light Winter Harbor Light Wood Island Light
* Disputed territory claimed by Maine but de facto controlled by Canada

v t e Islands of Maine
Cumberland	Bailey Birch Bustins Cliff Cousins Cow Cushing Dingley Eagle Frye Great Chebeague Great Diamond Hog Hope House Jewell Little Chebeague Little Diamond Littlejohn Long Mackworth Orr's Peaks Ragged Sebascodegan
Hancock	Bar Cranberry Isles Baker Bear Great Cranberry Little Cranberry Sutton Deer Isle Eagle Great Duck Great Spruce Head Little Deer Long Marshall Mount Desert Nautilus Porcupine Islands Spectacle Swan's Verona
Knox	Allen Criehaven Curtis Eastern Egg Rock Franklin Isle au Haut Lane's Matinicus Metinic North Haven Seal Two Bush Vinalhaven Whitehead
Lincoln	Burnt the Cuckolds Damariscove Hog Louds Manana Monhegan Squirrel Westport Witch
Piscataquis	Gero Sugar
Sagadahoc	Arrowsic Harbor Malaga Pond Swan
Waldo	Islesboro Sears Warren
Washington	Birch Islands Cross Great Wass Machias Seal^† Moose North Rock^† Saint Croix
York	Badger's Boon Seavey's Isles of Shoals Appledore Smuttynose
^† Disputed between the United States and Canada.

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