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Heron Neck Light Station was
established in 1854 on rocky Green's Island, at the east entrance
to Hurricane Sound, to help guide mariners heading for Vinalhaven's
Carver's Harbor. The harbor area was settled by the Carver family
in 1766 and was a center for fishing and lobster boats.
The 30-foot brick tower was attached to the keeper's house,
also constructed of brick. A fifth-order Fresnel lens displayed
a fixed red light 92 feet above the sea.
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- An early photo of Heron Neck Light.
U.S. Coast Guard photo.
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- Late 19th century image of Heron
Neck Light
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The station's fog bell was later replaced by a fog siren.
For a time, the station also had two famous "fog dogs."
In the early 1900s, a dog named Nemo was taught by Keeper Levi
Farnham to bark loudly when he heard fog horns from approaching
boats. When Nemo retired, he was replaced by a new fog dog named
Rover.
An 1886 book, Mary Bradford Crowninshield's All Among the
Lighthouses, described a visit to the station. Two hawks
had been nesting on the island for 20 years.
The keepers had allowed no one to molest the birds, but
had fed them and made pets of them; so that the grateful creatures
felt safe and at home in the place where they had received nothing
but kindness.
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An 1890 report revealed that five people had died in the keeper's
house, apparently because of unhealthy conditions. Insufficient
mortar had been used in the building's construction, leaving
it damp and leaky. The keeper's house was rebuilt in 1895; the
1854 tower remained and was attached to the new house. An oil
house, which still stands, was built in 1903.
The last civilian keeper was Andrew Bennett of Vinalhaven,
who was replaced by Coast Guard keepers in 1948 after being at
the station for over 20 years.
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- U.S. Coast Guard photo
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Paul Manning of the Coast Guard was an assistant keeper at
the lighthouse in the late 1940s. Bill Parmenter was the officer
in charge at the time. Manning recalls that local fishermen kept
the Coast Guardsmen supplied with lobsters and fish, especially
in winter when the trip to Vinalhaven for supplies was difficult.
Manning also remembers a miniature brass lighthouse at the
top of the flagpole at Heron Neck Light. Click
here to hear Paul Manning recalling his days at Heron Neck Light.
The keepers' water for drinking and bathing came from two
large cisterns in the basement. A well was dug in the late 1940s,
but the water from the well turned out to be salty. The salt
water was later used for the flush toilets in the new bathroom
that replaced the earlier outhouses.
Coast Guardsman Jim Woods was stationed at Heron Neck Light
in 1960-61, and he shares the following memories:
It consisted of a main house with the light attached, a
generator building that held two generators, a paint locker and
general storage. There was a boathouse at the water's edge on
the cove, down the hill, in back of the station. We had a 14-foot
skiff and outboard which we hauled up to the boathouse when not
in use, due to the rise and fall of the tide. There was an electric
winch to haul the skiff up on the rails to cover.
At high water we would unhook the boat and jump in for the fast
ride to the water. The light had a crew of three. Officer in
Charge (OinC) was a first class BM, Engineer was a second class
engineman and a seaman or fireman. The house was about like a
normal house -- three bedrooms, bathroom and living room, kitchen,
office, and a cellar which was used for storage. The lighthouse
was attached to the main house with a staircase to the light
room with fog signal attached outside. We had electrical power
from generators, and as I remember we got shore power at some
point via underwater cable and also phone service.
Liberty was three weeks on and one week off. There were
two on at all times except when someone had to make a run to
town (Vinalhaven) for food supplies and mail. To get to town
you had to go around a point on the island called 'Boiler Point.'
You usually tried to go around it at high water as it was a rough
water area. We tied the skiff up at the Calderwood fuel dock
and walked to town or caught a ride with an islander. Since I
was youngest of the crew I got to know the younger island crowd
and have never met any more friendly people than the island folks.
If we needed some kind of help they would help.
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The light was automated in 1982, and the Coast Guard keepers
were removed. A new 300mm lens replaced the old Fresnel lens.
In April 1989, an electrical fire broke out in the empty keeper's
house. The lighthouse tower was saved by a Halon fire suppression
system, but the house was badly damaged.
About three years later, a Boston developer offered to restore
the keeper's house. The Coast Guard claimed that an engineering
survey showed that it would be impossible to restore the house
to its original condition, so they announced plans to raze the
building instead.
Preservationists objected, and in November 1993 the Coast
Guard agreed to hand over the lighthouse station to the Island Institute
of Rockland. The institute in turn leased the property to a private
party who successfully restored the house at a cost of $200,000.
It was the Heron Neck project that inspired Island
Institute vice president Peter
Ralston to initiate the Maine Lights Program, under which
28 Maine lighthouses were turned over to communities and organizations.
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Unfortunately, no regular cruises pass the light station,
so you'll have to charter a cruise or flight for a good view.
Keepers: James Smith (185?-1870); John Green
(1870-1883); Sarah J. Green (1883); Nathaniel Hartwell (1883-1890);
Edward K. Tapley (1890-1900); Levi L. Farnham (1900-1911); Joseph
A. Farnham (1911); Fred M. Robbins (1911-1930); Clinton Dalzell
(assistant, c. 1928-?); Andrew Bennett (1930-1948); William Parmenter
(Coast Guard, c. 1949-?); Paul Manning (Coast Guard, assistant,
c. 1949); Ernest DeRaps (Coast Guard, 1959-1961); Kermit Scarborough
(Coast Guard officer in charge, c. 1959-1961); James Woods (Coast
Guard assistant 1960-61)
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