Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Keepers of Moose Peak Light

The first lighthouse was built on Mistake Island, about five miles from Jonesport, Maine, in 1826. The light served as a guide to the shipping channel known as Main Channel Way.

The present 57-foot brick tower was built in 1851. The light was automated in 1972 and the Coast Guard keepers were removed. In 1982 a military team blew up the keeper's house as a training exercise. 

The lighthouse is currently available to a suitable new steward under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 
A group of citizens in the area, in cooperation with the Town of Jonesport, have formed a new nonprofit corporation called the Keepers of Moose Peak Light. The group hopes to take ownership of and then care for this important part of the area's heritage. 

The group is recruiting members to help with financial support. All memberships enrolled before January 1, 2011, will be charter memberships. 

You can read more about this new effort on the group's Facebook page.

I wish the Keepers of Moose Peak Light all the best in their endeavor to preserve this important piece of Downeast Maine coastal history.