LighthouseGuy Photo's & Gifts

Lighthouse photo's from all over the United States & Canada

  • Home
  • Visit our Zazzle Store
  • Lighthouses by State/Province
    • Maine Lighthouses
      • Baker Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Blue Hill Bay Light, Maine
      • Boon Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Browns Head Lighthouse, Vinalhaven, Maine
      • Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse, Swans Island, Maine
      • Burnt Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Cape Elizabeth Light, Maine
      • Cape Neddick (the Nubble) Light, Maine
      • Cuckolds Light, Maine
      • Curtis Island Light, Maine
      • Deer Island Thorofare Light, Maine
      • Doubling Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Dyce Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Eagle Island Light, Maine
      • Egg Rock Lighthouse, Maine
      • Fort Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Franklin Island Light, Maine
      • Goat Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Goose Rocks Lighthouse, Maine
      • Great Duck Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Grindle Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Halfway Rock Lighthouse, Maine
      • Hendricks Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Heron Neck Lighthouse, Maine
      • Indian Island Light, Maine
      • Kennebec River Range Lights, Maine
      • Libby Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Little River Lighthouse, Maine
      • Lubec Channel Lighthouse, Maine
      • Marshall Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Matinicus Rock Light, Maine
      • Monhegan Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Moose Peak Lighthouse, Maine
      • Mount Desert Rock Lighthouse, Maine
      • Narraguagus Island Light, Maine
      • Nash Island Light, Maine
      • Owls Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Perkins Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Petit Manan Lighthouse, Maine
      • Pond Island Light, Maine
      • Popham Beach Life Saving Station
      • Portland Breakwater Lighthouse, Maine
      • Portland Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Prospect Harbor Lighthouse, Maine
      • Pumpkin Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Ram Island Ledge Light, Maine
      • Ram Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Robinson Point Lighthouse on Isle Au Haut, Maine
      • Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse, Maine
      • Rockland Harbor Southwest Light, Maine
      • Saddleback Ledge Light, Maine
      • Seguin Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Southern Island Light, Maine
      • Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse, Maine
      • Squirrel Point Lighthouse, Maine
      • Two Bush Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Maine
      • Whaleback Light, Maine
      • Whitehead Island Lighthouse, Maine
      • Winter Harbor Lighthouse, Maine
      • Wood Island Lighthouse, Maine
    • California Lighthouses
      • Alcatraz Light, California
      • Battery Point Lighthouse, California
      • Fort Point Lighthouse, California
      • New Point Loma Light, California
      • Old Point Loma Light, California
      • Pigeon Point Light, California
      • Point Arena Light, California
      • Point Bonita Light, California
      • Point Cabrillo Light, California
      • Point Fermin Light, California
      • Point Montara Lighthouse, California
      • Point Pinos Lighthouse, California
      • Point Reyes Lighthouse, California
      • Point Sur Light, California
      • Point Vicente Light, California
      • Santa Cruz Light, California
      • Table Bluff Lighthouse, California
      • Trinidad Head Memorial Light, California
    • Connecticut Lighthouses
      • Avery Point Lighthouse
      • Faulkners Island Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Fayerweather Island Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Five Mile Point Light, Connecticut
      • Great Captain Island Lighthouse
      • Latimer Reef Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Lynde Point Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Morgan Point Lighthouse, Connectitcut
      • Mystic Seaport Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • New London Harbor Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Penfield Reef Lighthouse
      • Race Rock Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Sheffield Island Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Stamford Harbor Lighthouse
      • Stonington Harbor Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Stratford Point Lighthouse, Connecticut
      • Stratford Shoal Lighthouse
      • Tongue Point Lighthouse
    • Delaware Lighthouses
      • Harbor of Refuge Light, Delaware
      • Delaware Breakwater Light, Delaware
      • Fenwick Island Lighthouse
      • Liston Rear Range Light
      • Overfalls Lightship, Delaware
      • Mispillion Lighthouse, Delaware
      • Reedy Island Rear Range Light
      • Marcus Hook Rear Range Light
    • Florida Lighthouses
      • Amelia Island Lighthouse, Florida
      • American Shoal Lighthouse, Florida
      • Cape Canaveral Light, Florida
      • Cape Florida Lighthouse, Florida
      • Crooked River Lighthouse
      • Faro Blanco Light, Florida
      • Garden Key Lighthouse, Florida
      • Gasparilla Island Lights, Florida
      • Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, Florida
      • Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
      • Key West Lighthouse, Florida
      • Loggerhead Key Lighthouse, Florida
      • Pensacola Lighthouse
      • Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Florida
      • Sand Key Lighthouse, Florida
      • Sanibel Island Lighthouse, Florida
      • St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
      • St. John's River Lighthouse, Florida
      • St. Marks Lighthouse, Florida
      • Sombrero Key Lighthouse
    • Georgia Lighthouses
      • St. Simons Island Lighthouse, Georgia
      • Tybee Island Lighthouse, Georgia
    • Hawai'i Lighthouses
      • Diamond Head Lighthouse, O'ahu, Hawai'i
      • Kilauea Point Lighthouse, Kaua'i, Hawai'i
      • Lahaina Harbor Lighthouse, Mau'i, Hawai'i
      • Makapu'u Light, Oahu, Hawai'i
      • Moloka'i Lighthouse, Moloka'i, Hawai'i
    • Illinois Lighthouses
      • Grosse Point Light, Illinois
    • Indiana Lighthouses
      • Michigan City Light, Indiana
    • Louisiana Lighthouses
      • New Canal Lighthouse, Louisiana
    • Maryland Lighthouses
      • Baltimore Light, Maryland
      • Chesapeake Lightship, Maryland
      • Concord Point Lighthouse, Maryland
      • Cove Point Light, Maryland
      • Drum Point Lighthouse, Maryland
      • Fishing Battery Light, Maryland
      • Hooper Strait Light, Maryland
      • Piney Point Light, Maryland
      • Point Lookout Lighthouse, Maryland
      • Sandy Point Light, Maryland
      • Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, Maryland
      • Thomas Point Light, Maryland
      • Turkey Point Lighthouse, Maryland
    • Massachusetts Lighthouses
      • Annisquam Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Baker's Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Bass River Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Bird Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Butler Flats Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Boston Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Cape Poge Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Chatham Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Clark's Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Cleveland Ledge Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Deer Island Light, Massachusetts
      • Derby Wharf Light, Massachusetts
      • Dog Bar Breakwater Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Duxbury Pier Light, Massachusetts
      • East Chop Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Eastern Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Gay Head Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Graves Light, Massachusetts
      • Great Point Lighthouse, Nantucket, Massachusetts
      • Highland Lighthouse, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
      • Hospital Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Lewis Bay Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Marblehead Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Minots Ledge Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Monomoy Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Nantucket Lightship, Massachusetts
      • Nauset Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Ned's Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Newburyport Harbor Range Lights, Massachusetts
      • Nobska Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Palmer Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Plum Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Plymouth Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Race Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod Massachusetts
      • Scituate Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Stage Harbor Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Tarpaulin Cove Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Thacher Island Twin Lights, Massachusetts
      • Three Sisters of Nauset Lighthouses, Massachusetts
      • West Chop Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Wings Neck Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Winter Island Lighthouse
    • New Hampshire Lighthouses
      • Isles of Shoals Light, New Hampshire
      • Portsmouth Harbor Light, New Hampshire
    • New Jersey Lighthouses
      • Absecon Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Barnegat Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Brandywine Shoal Light, New Jersey
      • Cape May Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Chapel Hill Rear Range Light, New Jersey
      • Conover Beacon Front Range Light, New Jersey
      • East Point Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Finns Point Lighthouse
      • Fourteen Foot Bank Light, New Jersey
      • Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood, New Jersey
      • Miah Maull Shoal Light, New Jersey
      • Sandy Hook Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Sea Girt Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Ship John Shoal Light, New Jersey
      • Twin Lights of Navesink, New Jersey
      • Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse, New Jersey
    • New York Lighthouses
      • Ambrose Lightship, New York
      • Big Sodus Light, New York
      • Blackswell Island Light, New York
      • Buffalo Main Lighthouse, New York
      • Cape Vincent Breakwater Lighthouse, New York
      • Clayton Memorial Lighthouse, New Yrok
      • Coney Island Lighthouse, New York
      • Crossover Island Lighthouse, New York
      • Dunkirk Light, New York
      • Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, New York
      • Execution Rocks Lighthouse, New York
      • Fire Island Lighthouse, New York
      • Horton Point Light, New York
      • Montauk Point Lighthouse, New York
      • Ogdensburg Harbor Lighthouse, New York
      • Old Field Point Lighthouse, New York
      • Rock Island Lighthouse, New York
      • Rondout Creek Lighthouse, New York
      • Saugerties Lighthouse, New York
      • Selkirk Lighthouse, New York
      • Sister Islands Lighthouse, New York
      • Staten Island Light, New York
      • Stepping Stones Lighthouse
      • Stony Point Lighthouse, New York
      • Sunken Rock Lighthouse, New York
      • Tarrytown Lighthouse, New York
      • Tibbetts Point Lighthouse, New York
    • North Carolina Lighthouses
      • Bodie Island Light, North Carolina
      • Ocracoke Light, North Carolina
      • Cape Hatteras Light, North Carolina
    • Ohio Lighthouses
      • Fairport Harbor Light, Ohio
      • Fairport Harbor West Breakwater Light, Ohio
      • Marblehead Light, Ohio
    • Oregon Lighthouses
      • Cape Meares Light, Oregon
      • Cleft of the Rock Light, Oregon
      • Coquille River Lighthouse, Oregon
      • Heceta Head Light, Oregon
      • Umpqua River Light, Oregon
      • Yaquina Bay Light, Oregon
      • Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Oregon
    • Pennsylvania Lighthouses
      • Presque Isle Lighthouse, Pennsylvania
      • Presque Isle North Pierhead Light, Pennsylvania
      • Turtle Rock Lighthouse
    • Rhode Island Lighthouses
      • Beavertail Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Bristol Ferry Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Castle Hill Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Conanicut Island Light, Rhode Island
      • Conimicut Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Dutch Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Goat Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Hog Island Shoal Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Ida Lewis Rock Light, Rhode Island
      • Nayatt Point Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • North Lighthouse, Block Island, Rhode Island
      • Plum Beach Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Point Judith Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Pomham Rocks Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Poplar Point Light, Rhode Island
      • Prudence Island Light, Rhode Island
      • Rose Island Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Southeast Lighthouse, Block Island, Rhode Island
      • Warwick Neck Lighthouse, Rhode Island
      • Watch Hill Lighthouse, Rhode Island
    • South Carolina Lighthouses
      • Morris Island Light, South Carolina
      • Hunting Island Light, South Carolina
    • Vermont Lighthouses
      • Colchester Reef Lighthouse, Vermont
      • Isle La Motte Lighthouse, Vermont
      • Windmill Point Lighthouse
    • Washington Lighthouses
      • Admiralty Head Lighthouse, Washington
      • Alki Point Lighthouse, Washington
      • Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, Washington
      • Grays Harbor Lighthouse, Washington
      • Lime Kiln Light, Washington
      • Mukilteo Lighthouse, Washington
      • North Head Lighthouse, Washington
      • West Point Lighthouse, Washington
    • Wisconsin Lighthouses
      • Wind Point Light, Wisconsin
      • North Point Lighthouse
    • New Brunswick Lighthouses
      • Gannet Rock Lighthouse, Grand Manan, New Brunswick
      • Machias Seal Island Lighthouse, New Brunswick
      • Swallowtail Lighthouse, Grand Manan
    • Nova Scotia Lighthouses
      • Cape Forchu Light, Nova Scotia
      • Georges Island Light, Nova Scotia
      • Peggys Cove Light, Nova Scotia
      • Seal Island Light, Nova Scotia
      • West Pubnico Light, Nova Scotia
    • Prince Edward Island Lighthouses
      • North Rustico Lighthouse, Prince Edward Island
    • Quebèc Lighthouses
      • Pointe à la Renommée Light, Quebec
    • Lighthouse Trips
      • 2012-06-22 Penobscot Bay Cruise, Maine
      • 2011-09-10 Boothbay Lighthouse Cruise with NELL
      • 2011-09-18 Trip to Mount Desert Rock Light
  • Search for a Lighthouse
  • 2021 Lighthouse Calendar
  • Contact Us

Social Media Links

Baker Island Lighthouse, Maine

Baker Island is the easternmost of a group of islands situated off of Mount Desert Island known as the Cranberry Isles. It is also the location of the oldest lighthouse in the Mount Desert area. As shipping and fishing increased in the area during the early 1800’s, Congress appropriated funds to build a lighthouse to mark a dangerous ledge and sandbar between Baker Island and Little Cranberry Island.
Read More
The original federal title to the land was found to be faulty so a compromise was negotiated whereby the Lighthouse Board kept the land for the lighthouse station and a right of way from the boat landing.
12 / 19

The original federal title to the land was found to be faulty so a compromise was negotiated whereby the Lighthouse Board kept the land for the lighthouse station and a right of way from the boat landing.

Baker Island Light 2

bakerisland

  • In 1812 William and Hannah Gilley moved from Mount Desert Island to Baker Island with their 3 children.
  • William worked as a fisherman and farmer and moving to Baker Island placed him closer to a rich fishing area.  While living on the island they would have 9 more children bringing the total to 12.
  • *The sign which greets you upon landing on Baker Island*
  • In 1828 a 26 foot stone tower with an octagonal lantern was erected costing $2,944 on the highest point of the island to help mark the western entrance to Frenchman’s Bay.  It was equipped with 10 oil lamps with reflectors and exhibited a fixed white light.
  • *A National Park Ranger who is a descendant of the Gilley's gives a tour of the island*
  • *The Oil House* William Gilley was appointed the first Keeper of the Baker Island Light by President John Quincy Adams.  Gilley would remain in his position for the next 21 years.
  • *A path through the woods on Baker Island from the lighthouse to the rocky beach*
  • *A private home on Baker Island* An inspection report prepared in 1843 by I.W.P. Lewis found structural problems in both the lighthouse tower and the Keepers dwelling.  Although the lighthouse had received repointing in 1832 it was recommended that a new lighthouse be built to replace the leaky tower.
  • In 1849 the Whig Party gained control of the government and replaced Gilley as Keeper with John Rich, a political appointee.  Gilley moved to Great Duck Island which he had purchased a few years earlier, but his sons Joseph & Elisha continued to live on Baker Island.  Upset over their fathers’ dismissal the Gilley brothers began to harass Keeper Rich at every opportunity.
  • *The old Gilley homestead now owned by the National Park Service* In 1853 Keeper Rich sent a letter to Washington complaining that the Gilley’s were charging him for grazing his cattle and landing at the dock.  He went on to say ‘Soon after I took possession of the Light House these Mr. Gilleys commenced to abuse & insult me at every opportunity’.
  • The Lighthouse Board began legal proceedings in 1854 to have the Gilley’s removed from Baker Island.  The Gilley brothers countersued the government claiming that the island belonged to them.
  • The original federal title to the land was found to be faulty so a compromise was negotiated whereby the Lighthouse Board kept the land for the lighthouse station and a right of way from the boat landing.
  • In 1855 Congress finally appropriated $5,000 to have the Baker Island Light rebuilt.  A new 43 foot brick cylindrical whitewashed tower was erected with a focal plane of 105 feet above sea level.  In addition a 1½ story attached wooden Keepers residence was built.
  • The lantern in the new tower was equipped with a Fourth Order Fresnel lens.  In 1895 a brick oil house was added to the station. In 1966 the light was automated and the Fresnel lens was removed and replaced with a 300mm modern optic.  The Fresnel lens is on display at the Fisherman Museum at the Pemaquid Point Lighthouse.
  • In 1989 the station received some repairs funded by the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.  But in 1991 and 1997 the Coast Guard proposed a discontinuance of the light due to its limited visibility over the trees which had grown around the light station.  Complaints from local mariners convinced them to continue to maintain the light.
  • *The Baker Island cemetary where many of the Gilley's are interred* While the Coast Guard owns the tower the National Park Service (NPS) owns the buildings and most of the island.  The Coast Guard excessed the light in 2008 and it is believed ownership will pass to the NPS.  The tower is now in need of major repair work.
  • An old postcard view of the Baker Island Light when there were no trees to block the light.
  • 100_4530 BakersIsland Light
  • 100_4501  BAKER ISLAND LIGHT
  • No Comments
  • Photo Sharing
  • About SmugMug
  • Browse Photos
  • Prints & Gifts
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Contact
  • Owner Log In
© 2021 SmugMug, Inc.