Off Mildbridge, ME
Est 1817; present light 1855.
119 feet tall; 123 feet above sea

This lofty granite tower is a close relative of Boon Island Light, built about the same time off the southern Maine coast. It ranks just behind Boon as Maine’s second tallest lighthouse.

Jeremy's Lighthouse Guide #17

Petit Manan is a low, rocky island about 14 miles east of Bar Harbor. The first small lighthouse erected in 1817 served to guide shipping traffic toward several bays and harbors in the vicinity, but an 1851 inspection made it clear that a new tower was needed. The new light was fitted with a huge second order Fresnel lens.

Petit Manan is considered one of the foggiest spots on the Maine coast, with an average of about 70 foggy days each year. A fog bell and striking mechanism installed in 1855 were replaced by a steam-driven fog whistle in 1869.

Maizie Freeman Anderson grew up at Petit Manan, where her father James H. Freeman was keeper in the 1930s. She wrote about her childhood on the island:

“We tried putting in a vegetable garden but we gave it up as hopeless. We also tried keeping a cow, because fresh milk was a rarity. I shall never forget getting her there; you've never lived until you've shared a rowboat with a cow!

Anderson remembered one particularly high tide when the entire island was under a foot of water. The chicken coops were floating in the cranberry bog. The family moved everything of value to the second floor of the house.

The island supports a mixed colony of nesting birds, including puffins. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages the island as part of the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. In July 2004 it was announced that the lighthouse will be transferred to a suitable new owner under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. SEe this web site for details.

Puffin watch cruises out of Bar Harbor go close to Petit Manan Island for an excellent view of its feathered residents as well as the lighthouse.

For a detailed HISTORY of Petit Manan click here

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.