- "The scenery in this neighborhood is
most romantic. On the east [Mt.] Sunapee lifts its high head...
Sunapee lake, extending ten miles in one direction and three
miles in another, can be plainly seen... One never tires, in
summer, driving or walking over the delightful roads, through
pine groves, or beside brooks lined with moss and shaded by the
over-hanging trees... There is good fishing in the vicinity.
The proximity of the lake is an inducement to many who love to
fish from a boat, while the many brooks tempt those who love
the speckled trout."
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- -- Sketch of Newport, 1870.
- For well over a hundred years beautiful ten-mile long, three-mile
wide Lake Sunapee has drawn summer vacationers. Vacationers in
the late 19th century arrived at the lake by train, then boarded
steamships to get to their destinations around the lake. A number
of large resort hotels and private estates lined the lake's shores.
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- In 1891 the steamer Edmond Burke struck an underwater
ledge. This led to the construction of a lighthouse for $400
on Loon Island in 1893. The builders were the Woodsum Brothers,
owners of the steamships that serviced the lake.
-
-
- In 1896 repairs were being made to Loon Island Light when
it caught fire. The damage was repaired, but in 1960 lightning
caused the lighthouse to completely burn down. It was promptly
rebuilt.
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- The still-active, solar-powered lighthouse is owned by the
State of New Hampshire's Marine
Patrol Bureau and is maintained by the Lake
Sunapee Protection Association. It can be viewed from
the deck of the public tour boat Mt.
Sunapee II.
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