Camden Harbor is finely locked in between two jutting points
of land, one high, the other low, with a pretty little wooded
island deftly dropped in at the entrance. Negro Island is its
name. The harbor light stands on this island. Back of this, the
mountains rise so near at hand that the village spires are thrown
up against them in strong relief... Sails bathed in sunshine
look like cloths of gold; masts and ropes, like cobwebs borne
along by the breeze.
-- Samuel Adams Drake, The Pine Tree Coast,
1891.
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- Camden and its harbor from the top
of Mount Battie in the Camden Hills
Camden's well-protected harbor helped the town develop major
lime-kiln and shipbuilding industries in the nineteenth century.
Today, thousands of tourists come to the town each year, attracted
by the combination of the handsome harbor, the beauty of Penobscot
Bay and the nearby Camden Hills, and a cluster of shops and restaurants.
The town was the setting for the movie Peyton Place, and
for the 1995 film Thinner, based on a Stephen King novel.
The first brick lighthouse on the small island at the entrance
to the harbor was built by George Galt of Massachusetts for $4,500
in 1835, by order of President Andrew Jackson.
- The first Curtis Island Lighthouse
(U.S. Coast Guard photo)
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At that time, the five-acre island was called Negro Island,
reportedly after an African cook who lived on the island. H.K.M
Bowers was the first keeper. As was common at lighthouses at
that time, the keepers kept cows, ducks, and chickens.
In 1889, the keeper's house was rebuilt and a barn and boathouse
were added.
The present 25-foot brick tower replaced the earlier lighthouse
in 1896. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed.
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- Plans for the present lighthouse
(U.S. Coast Guard)
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- The Arctic exploration schooner Bowdoin
passes Curtis Island, circa 1920s
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The name of the island was changed to Curtis Island in 1934
in memory of Cyrus H.K. Curtis, publisher of the Saturday
Evening Post and other publications. Curtis was a longtime
summer resident and benefactor of Camden. He gave the town the
land and building that became the Camden Yacht Club.
Six Coast Guardsmen were stationed on the island during World
War II. It was reported that the men were treated like sons by
Myrick Morrison, keeper of the light at the time.
In 1970, word spread that the Coast Guard was planning to
auction the light station, except for the tower. Three Camden
residents traveled to Philadelphia for a meeting and managed
to convince the Coast Guard that the station should go to the
Town of Camden rather than a private party.
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- Keeper Myrick Morrison, courtesy
of North Haven Historical Society
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The light was automated in 1972. The Coast Guard keepers were
removed and the Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern optic.
The Town of Camden officially acquired the property, except for
the lighthouse, during the following year. The light is now solar-powered
and is an active aid to navigation maintained by the Coast Guard.
Curtis Island was the scene of a highly unusual event in September
1993. One of the lighthouse's caretakers, Dee Dee Conover, saw
what she thought was a sick or injured dolphin come ashore. The
animal was still alive, and Conover said she felt as if it was
trying to talk to her. The creature soon died, and an autopsy
performed by Allied Whale found that it was a 13-foot immature
female beaked whale. There have been only sixteen beaked whales
ever found in North America, and six in Europe. There has never
been a confirmed sighting at sea of a beaked whale.
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A fog bell is on display in the public parking lot
at Camden Harbor.
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In November 1997, the people of Camden voted to allow the
town to assume ownership of Curtis Island Light. Under the Maine
Lights Program, created by congressional legislation and coordinated
by the Island Institute of Rockland, the lighthouse officially
became the property of the Town of Camden in 1998.
This is one of the prettiest light stations in Maine and it
looks like its occulting green light will be welcoming boaters
to Camden, the "Jewel of the Penobscot," for many years
to come. The lighthouse is difficult to see from land, but it
can be seen from all the schooners and excursion boats leaving
Camden Harbor. You can also get a breathtaking, panoramic view
of Camden Harbor by driving or hiking to the top of Mount Battie
in Camden Hills State Park.
- A view of Curtis Island from the
top of Mount Battie
For more information, contact:
- Town of Camden
- P.O. Box 1207
- Camden, Maine 04843
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- Keepers: Henry. K. M. Bower (1836-1841); Ephraim S.
Fly (1841-1845); Obadiah Brown (1845-1849 and 1855-1857); William
Prince (or Price) (1849-1853); Ebenezer M. Carelton (1853-1855);
Andrew M. Annis (1857-1861); Isaiah Barbour (1861-1872 and 1873);
Josuha Bramhall (1872-1873 and 1873-1879); Fred D. Aldus (1879-1882);
Henry Wiley (1882-1896); Howard M. Gilley (1896-1909); Aldiverd
A. Norton (1909-1919); Elmer Reed (1919-1938); Myrick Morrison
(1938-1950); Martin Jordan (Coast Guard lookout during WWII,
1942-43); Gordon Bruce (Coast Guard lookout during WWII); Joe
Ash (Coast Guard lookout during WWII); Ted Keller (Coast Guard
lookout during WWII); Betts Kiesel (Coast Guard lookout during
WWII); BM2 Carroll A. Hallowell (1950); Benjamin C. Stockbridge
(1950-1951); Albert F. Osgood (1951-1959); Melvin Kirchoff (Coast
Guard, ?-?); BM1 Jean B. C. DuBois (DuBios?) (Coast Guard, 1959-1960);
EN1 Richard Kwapiszewski (Coast Guard, 1960); EN2 Francis X.
McCarthy (Coast Guard, 1960-1962); BM1 James H. Perry (Coast
Guard 1962-1964); EN2 John R. French (Coast Guard, 1964-1967?);
Jack Hamel (Coast Guard, c. 1967-1968); Thomas L. Christie (Coast
Guard, c. 1968-1970); EM 2 Clifton W. McKenney, Jr. (Coast Guard,
1970-1971); FA Roy Fruschertz (Coast Guard automation crew, c.1971-1972);
EM1 John Gustin (Coast Guard automation crew, c.1971-1972)
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