WayfarrowBear Island Light
Lighthouse · Hancock County, Maine
Bear Island Light is a lighthouse in Hancock County, Maine. Maine has 70 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 14 of them in Hancock County.
It was built in 1889, in the late 19th century, making it the 43rd oldest of the 61 in Maine with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 31 feet tall (34th tallest of 53 measured in Maine); its light sits 100 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 5s (a white flash every 5 seconds), with a range of about 10 nautical miles; it was deactivated in 1981; the structure is built of brick.
Status check, 2026-11: The station dates from 1839, but the 1852 tower was torn down and the current brick tower built in 1889. The record's year_built of 1839 should therefore be 1889; the light was relit in 1989 as a private aid to navigation in Acadia National Park. Bear Island Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 44.2835° N, 68.2699° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1889 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 31 ft |
| Focal height | 100 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 5s |
| Range | 10 nautical miles |
| Deactivated | 1981 |
| Material | brick |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 44.28350, -68.26989 |
Nearby places
- Baker Island Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 4.6 mi
- Bass Harbor Head Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 5.4 mi
- Egg Rock Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 8.1 mi
- Great Duck Island Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 9.9 mi
- Blue Hill Bay Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 11.6 mi
- Crabtree Ledge Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 13.2 mi
- Burnt Coat Harbor Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 13.6 mi
- Prospect Harbor Point Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 15.2 mi
- Petit Manan Lightlighthouse · Washington County · 20.9 mi
- Mount Desert Lightlighthouse · Maine · 22.9 mi
- Pumpkin Island Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 23.5 mi
- Winter Harbor Lightlighthouse · Hancock County · 23.5 mi
Questions
Where is Bear Island Light?
Bear Island Light is in Hancock County, Maine, at 44.2835, -68.2699.
How many lighthouses are in Hancock County?
Hancock County, Maine has 14 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.