Contributed by Friends of Wood Island Lighthouse
Description
Photo of Wood Island Lighthouse ca. 1886 taken by a photographer in the First Naval District.
This Lighthouse was constructed in 1808 and the Thomas Orcutt family lived in the dwelling house and kept the light from 1886-1905. It is believed that the uniformed keeper in the photo is Thomas Henry Orcutt and that the photo was taken somewhere near the beginning of his service at the lighthouse.
His wife Hannah (7 years his junior) is standing on the left and his three youngest children appear in the photo, Mattie and Minnie on the steps and George is perched on the stonewall in front.
One of the keeper's jobs was to keep the lens in the lantern room atop the tower covered during the day in order to protect the lens from discoloration by the harsh direct sunlight of day. There was a linen curtain for this purpose and can be seen in the photo.
The photo is kept at the Coast Guard Historian's office in Washington, D.C.
About This Item
- Title: Wood Island Light Station, Biddeford, ca. 1886
- Creator: First Naval District
- Creation Date: circa 1886
- Subject Date: circa 1886
- Location: Wood Island, Biddeford, York County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Collection: Coast Guard Archives
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Wood Island Lighthouse (Biddeford, Me.)--Photographs
- Lighthouses--Maine--Biddeford
- Orcutt family--Maine--Biddeford
- Orcutt, Thomas Henry--Homes and haunts--Maine--Biddeford
People
Other Keywords
- aid to navigation
- beacon
- Biddeford Pool
- colonial lighthouse
- marine navigation
- Saco Bay
- the PoolMinnie Orcutt
- Winter Harbor
For more information about this item, contact:
Friends of Wood Island LighthousePO Box 26, Biddeford Pool, ME 04006
(207) 286-3229
Website
Use of this Item is not restricted by copyright and/or related rights, but the holding organization is contractually obligated to limit use. For more information, please contact the contributing organization. However, watermarked Maine Memory Network images may be used for educational purposes.
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