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At its annual fundraiser this past August, the Friends of Acadia raised $240,000 toward helping to rehabilitate Maine’s Baker Island Lighthouse as well as Acadia National Park’s two carriage road gatehouses. The next steps are to identify what specific work needs to be done and allocate the funds.
In 2011 the ownership of the lighthouse was transferred under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act to the National Park Service. However, no work has been done in many years toward any real maintenance of the light station. The 1855 light station has sat empty for many years. Although the keeper’s house looks to be in fair condition, the tower itself is showing signs of extensive deterioration. Both will need extensive restoration. (Photos by Joe Hall)
The old weathered sign by the lighthouse says: “Baker Island Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in the Mount Desert Island area. Built in 1828, William Gilley was appointed as the first lighthouse keeper. Whale oil was once used to keep the light burning; a 35 watt solar panel now does the job today.”
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