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The American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) has come forward to save Maine’s Little River Light Station. In 1998, Maine Preservation, the statewide non-profit organization for historic preservation, listed the lighthouse as one of the most endangered historic properties in the state.
The lighthouse was offered for adoption in the Maine Lights Program several years ago, but no group came forward to adopt it.
Tim Harrison, president of the non-profit American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) said that time was running out for this historic property. He went on to say, “We did not want to see this lighthouse fall into private ownership. We have no hidden agenda, our goal is to simply restore the lighthouse and preserve it for the future and protect the island as a wild life sanctuary and perhaps use the keepers house as a limited educational facility to study island wildlife and vegetation.
“The station which dates back to 1847 has a rich lighthouse history tied deeply to the roots of coastal Maine.” Harrison also said that they are now beginning to research the history of the island and locate as many photographs as possible of keepers and family members that lived at or were stationed at the lighthouse.
The U.S. Coast Guard discontinued the lighthouse in 1975 and the light was removed from the tower and replaced with a modern optic on a skeleton tower. Harrison said they have no idea what happened to the Fresnel lens that was in the tower, but the group would like to get it back so it could be put on display.
Bill Collette, a Coast Guard employee and active Foundation member who accompanied the recent ALF inspection of the lighthouse and island, estimated a cost of about $200,000 dollars to restore the station.
Located on the east side of Little River Island at the approach to Cutler Harbor, the light station is not visible from the mainland and can only be viewed from the ocean or by air. The tower and keepers house are of the same design as Maine’s Cape Neddick “Nubble” Lighthouse.
The American Lighthouse Foundation is a non-profit organization that was originally founded in 1994 as the New England Lighthouse Foundation which changed its name in 1998 because of its involvement in national lighthouse preservation. The group still operates New England projects under the New England Foundation name with a Cape Cod Chapter and a chapter in Rockland Maine that is raising money to restore the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse. Several other chapters are in the process of being formed.
This story appeared in the
June 2000 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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