Prospect Harbor divides Sand Cove from Inner Harbor at the head of Prospect Harbor on the southern shore of Gouldsboro, Maine. FIrst established in 1850, this current structure was built in 1891. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Prospect Harbor Light Station in 1988.
In 1891 the station was rebuilt; the present tower and keeper's house date to this period. The brick oil house was added in 1905. The light was automated in 1934, but keepers remained on site until 1951, when its Fresnel lens was removed and replaced by modern optics. The station last underwent major restorative work in the early 2000s; it remains an active aid to navigation.
The tower is 38 feet tall and capped by a lantern house with a polygonal roof. The keeper's house is a two-story wood frame structure, clad in shingles on the upper floor and clapboard on the first floor. A porch extends across part of its front, with four square posts and slatted balustrade. The roof of the porch is a continuation of the main roof, and is pierced by a gable-roof dormer. The small brick oilhouse stands a short way north of the house and tower.
The lighthouse is about 6 miles from US-1. The lighthouse is on restricted property so you can't get too close to it however there is a rocky beach to the west and you'll get a good picture if the Sun is not behind. There is no legal parking but we pulled into a space, grabbed our photos and escaped without incident.
[Review 14873 overall, 375 of 2021, number 56 in Maine.] read more
