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Geographic coordinates: 44° 16' 59" N 68° 16' 10" W
Nearest town: Northeast Harbor. Located at the entrance to Somes Sound, about 1,200 feet offshore from Mount Desert Island.
Established: 1839. Present lighthouse built: 1889. Deactivated: 1981. Relighted: 1989.
Height of tower: 31 feet. Height of focal plane: 100 feet.
Previous optic: Fifth-order Fresnel lens.
President Martin Van Buren authorized the building of a lighthouse on the southeast point of Bear Island to help mariners entering Northeast Harbor and Somes Sound. The first lighthouse was a dwelling with a small tower on top. The first structure burned down in 1852.
The present 31-foot brick lighthouse was built in 1889 along with a new keeper’s house and a barn. For a time, beginning in 1887, Bear Island had a buoy depot where navigational aids were maintained; the depot was later transferred to Southwest Harbor. There was also a coaling station so buoy tenders in the area could refuel.
One of the last Coast Guard keepers was Steve Loiver. He voiced his fears regarding automation: “I just hope that in the need to economize we don’t destroy the things that give flavor and uniqueness to life.”
In 1981, the light was discontinued and replaced by a lighted bell buoy. The property became part of Acadia National Park in 1987. Through most of the 1980s, the station fell into disrepair. In 1989, the Friends of Acadia refurbished the keeper’s house, and the tower was relighted as a private aid to navigation. The National Park Service granted a long-term lease to an individual who is required to pay for the upkeep of the property.
The best views are from the water. The Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company (207-288-9800, www.barharborwhales.com) offers a “Lighthouse and Park Tour” that passes this lighthouse. Sea Princess Cruises (207-276-5352, www.barharborcruises.com), leaving from Northeast Harbor, has narrated nature cruises that pass Bear Island. You can also arrange a trip with Sea Venture Custom Boat Tours (207-288-3355, www.svboattours.com) in Bar Harbor to see this and other area lighthouses.
Fascinating Fact 
Nineteenth-century landscape artists, including Frederick Church and Albert Bierstadt, painted scenes of Bear Island’s rugged beauty.
