Doubling Point Lighthouse

Title

Doubling Point Lighthouse

Artist

Jan Mulherin

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography - Enhanced

Description

On May 29, 1896, the United States of America purchased a plot of land from Samuel S. Freeman of Arrowsic, Maine. Arrowsic is an island across the Kennebec River from Bath, a city which has often been called "The City of Ships" because of its long history of shipbuilding and its importance in worldwide commerce. Navigation up from the mouth of the Kennebec can be treacherous for large ships.

In 1892 the Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board discussed the need for light and fog signals on the Kennebec River. In 1895 the government took action, and by 1898, four new light stations were established along this lower segment of the Kennebec River: Perkin's Island Light, Squirrel Point Light, the Doubling Point Range Lights, and, of course, Doubling Point Light.

When first built, the Doubling Point Light Station consisted of an octagonal lighthouse, a keeper's dwelling, a small barn, and a fog bell tower. In 1899, the lighthouse was moved from its original foundation to its present location at the end of a long catwalk that extends through the marsh and into the Kennebec River. At the same time, the fog bell was relocated to the lighthouse itself and the fog bell tower was moved to the rear of the property and converted into a garage. The original foundation for the lighthouse tower still lies on a rock ledge at the eastern edge of the station property.

For nearly forty years Doubling Point Light was manned and maintained by the United States Lighthouse Service. During this time, only two keepers served there, Merritt Pinkham (1898-1931) and Charles W. Allen (1931-1935). However, as time passed, the government decided that it would be more efficient to run the Doubling Point Lighthouse from the nearby Range Lights. So, on August 13, 1935, the Doubling Point Light Station, with the exception of the lighthouse itself, was sold to a private owner for $2,200. The USLHS continued to maintain the Doubling Point Lighthouse until 1939 when the Coast Guard took over the USLHS. Under Coast Guard management, the lighthouse remained intact for decades. In the mid nineteen-seventies, the fresnel lens was removed from the tower. It is now part of the collection at the Shore Village Museum in Rockland, Maine. In August 1980, the bell was removed by the Coast Guard. Its current whereabouts is unknown.

Doublingpoint.org

All photographs and artworks in this portfolio are copyrighted and owned by the artist, Jan Mulherin. Any publication, reproduction, modification, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the content, for personal or commercial use, whether in whole or in part, without written permission from Jan Mulherin is prohibited. The images may not be copied, reproduced, manipulated or used in any way without written permission of Jan Mulherin. Any unauthorized usage will be prosecuted to the full extent of U.S. Copyright Law. All images on this web site are protected by the U.S. And international copyright laws. All rights reserved.

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May 21st, 2018

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