Ram Island Ledge Light
Encyclopedia
Ram Island Ledge Light is a lighthouse
in Casco Bay
, Maine
, United States
.
to Glasgow, Scotland via Halifax, Nova Scotia
. As a result of that accident, the United States Congress
appropriated funds to build a lighthouse.
Construction began on May 1, 1903 and was completed in 1905. It is a twin of the Graves Light off Boston
. The lighthouse was built of granite
quarried from Vinalhaven, Maine
. The lighthouse originally included a third-order Fresnel lens
. The lighthouse was electrified in 1958, and then automated in 1959. The light was converted to solar power
in January 2001. The Ram Island Ledge Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Ram Island Ledge Light Station on March 14, 1988, reference number 88000157.
In July 2010, Ram Island Ledge Light was put up for sale to the general public. The minimum bid was $10,000. The property had initially been made available at no charge to other government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, but no interest was shown, so bids were opened to the general public. The winning bid, $190,000, came from a Windham
surgeon.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
In 1855 an iron spindle was erected to protect sailors from dangerous underwater ledges surrounding Ram Island Ledge. The ledge continued to be the site of repeated shipwrecks. On February 24, 1900 the Allan Line steamship Californian (formerly named the State of California) ran aground on the ledge while en route from PortlandPortland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
to Glasgow, Scotland via Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. As a result of that accident, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
appropriated funds to build a lighthouse.
Construction began on May 1, 1903 and was completed in 1905. It is a twin of the Graves Light off Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. The lighthouse was built of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
quarried from Vinalhaven, Maine
Vinalhaven, Maine
Vinalhaven is a town located in the Fox Islands in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,235 at the 2000 census. It is home to a thriving lobster fishery and hosts a summer colony...
. The lighthouse originally included a third-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
. The lighthouse was electrified in 1958, and then automated in 1959. The light was converted to solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
in January 2001. The Ram Island Ledge Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Ram Island Ledge Light Station on March 14, 1988, reference number 88000157.
In July 2010, Ram Island Ledge Light was put up for sale to the general public. The minimum bid was $10,000. The property had initially been made available at no charge to other government agencies, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations, but no interest was shown, so bids were opened to the general public. The winning bid, $190,000, came from a Windham
Windham, Maine
Windham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 17,001 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of South Windham and North Windham...
surgeon.