Over 20 miles from the nearest port at Mount Desert Island, this waveswept rock with its granite lighthouse is like a barren planet unto itself.. The Rock is only about 17 feet above sea level at its highest point and waves batter it mercilessly in storms. The first lighthouse on Mount Desert Rock went into operation in 1830 to mark the entrances to Frenchman and Blue Hill Bays. This structure was replaced by a new 58-foot granite tower designed by the noted architect Alexander Parris in 1847.

Despite its isolation Mount Desert Rock was for many years a family station. It became a tradition for the families to bring soil to the island each spring for a garden. Local fishermen also made contributions of earth from the mainland. By the summer a beautiful flower garden would be in bloom. With luck the flowers would remain until fall, but the first gales of winter would sweep the rock clean of the last bit of dirt.

The last Coast Guard keepers were removed in late 1977. The station was then leased to Bar Harbor's College of the Atlantic for use as a whale watching station. The college's Allied Whale program compiles and maintains catalogs for the North Atlantic populations of finback and humpback whales. Students and faculty live in the old keeper’s quarters during the summer, and the upper story of a shed has been transformed into a classroom.

The lighthouse is best seen by private boat or from the air, although whale watches from Bar Harbor occasionally pass near Mount Desert Rock.

Click for a complete HISTORY of this lighthouse

Copyright 2004 by Jeremy D'Entremont,New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.