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Geographic coordinates: 44° 27' 50" N 67° 44' 45" W
Nearest town: Addison. Located at the southeastern entrance to Pleasant Bay.
Established: 1838. Present lighthouse built: 1874. Automated: 1947. Deactivated: 1981.
Height of tower: 36 feet. Height of focal plane: 51 feet.
Earlier optic: Fourth-order Fresnel lens. Present optic: none.
In 1837, Congress authorized the construction of a lighthouse at the mouth of the Pleasant River. The site chosen was Nash Island, the smaller of two islands known locally as Big Nash and Little Nashes Island. The first Nash Island Lighthouse, a round tower, was built for $5,000 in 1838. Major repairs were made to the original lighthouse, but the tower was rebuilt in 1874. The 51-foot square brick lighthouse still stands.
For a while, there were enough children living on the island for a small school to be put in operation with a teacher from the mainland. When they reached high-school age, the children boarded and attended school in Jonesport.
John Purington was keeper from 1916 to 1935. It was largely the inspiration of his daughter, Jenny Purington Cirone (1912–2004), that led to strong interest in the preservation of Nash Island Lighthouse. Jenny later owned half of Nash Island, as well as Big Nash Island. She started raising sheep as a girl and continued to keep sheep on her islands for the rest of her life.
The Friends of Nash Island Light (P.O. Box 250, Addison, ME 04606) became the owners of the lighthouse in 1998. Nash Island is now part of the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The lighthouse is best viewed from cruises offered by Robertson Sea Tours Adventures (207-546-3883 or 207-483- 6110, www.robertsonseatours.com), Downeast Coastal Cruises (207-546-7720, www.downeastcoastalcruises.com), and Pleasant River Boat Tours (207-598-6993, www.pleasantriverboattours.com).
Fascinating Fact 
Allen Carter Holt was keeper from 1910 to 1916. His children were assigned the task of counting gull nests on the local islands for the Audubon Society.
