Bear Island Light is another of the
group that makes up the Cranberry Isles,
named after the wild cranberries
that once grew in that area.
In 1839 President Martin VanBuren
authorized the lighthouse to be built
to warn mariners entering the Northeast Harbor.
The first building was a stone keepers house
with a small lighthouse tower built on top.
A brick tower was built in
1853 at the side of the dwelling.
In 1858 a fifth-order
Fresnel lens was installed.
The 31 foot brick lighthouse
which stands there now
was constucted in 1889,
along with a 1 2/2 story keeper's house.
A boathouse and oil house were added later.
In 1982 the light was
discontinued and the lens removed,
and the property became a part
of the Acadia National Park in 1987,
and went without repair and
began to deteriorate.
The Friends Of Acadia refurbished
it in 1989 and the tower was
relighted as a private aid to mariners.
In 1991 a private owner was granted
a long term lease with the very strict stipulation
that the house and light were to be restored
and repaired and the property kept up.
