A Brief History

The Hendricks Head Light Station is located on Southport Island, Maine at the mouth of the Sheepscot River, opening up to the Atlantic Ocean. It was erected in 1829 by Joseph Berry to guide vessels up the Sheepscot River to the shipbuilding center at Wiscasset Harbor.

The original lighthouse consisted of a rectangular granite dwelling with a wooden octagonal tower protruding from one end of its pitched roof. It exhibited a fixed white light 39 feet above the water. The lantern room was of the old birdcage design, featuring a multitude of small glass panes separated by wide metal muntins. Its first lighthouse keeper, John Upham, first lit the tower’s lamps on December 1, 1829.

John Upham was the keeper from 1829 to 1837. After him, there were several keepers whose duration lasted no more than four years, (with the exception of Stevens who served five years). Stephen Smith (1837-1841), Thomas Pierce (1841-1845), Joshua Berry (1845-1849), Thomas Pierce (1849-1853), Simeon Cromwell (1853-1857), William Orne (1857-1859), Ephraim Pinkham (1859-1861), and John Stevens (1861-1866).

“The light burns bright. All well at the Head.” ~ Keeper Jaruel Marr

Jaruel Marr served as keeper from 1866 until he retired in 1895. The logs he kept reflect Marr’s devotion to the lighthouse. He often made several trips to the lantern room during the night to check the light. He wrote, “Trimmed the wick at half past 12, at half past 4 the light was dim so I raised the wick a sixteenth of an inch to make all right again. The oil carbonizes the wick and causes it to become crusty in about 8 hours.”

The Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board documented some of the construction and repairs made at the Hendricks Head Lighthouse. In the report dated 1874, it is written, "...it is recommended that the keepers' dwellings at ... Hendrick's Head be rebuilt, and special estimates are submitted therefor." The 1875 report noted that the dwelling “is now in such an advanced state of dilapidation and decay that it has become uninhabitable, and new buildings are being erected, to be paid for from the general appropriation for repairs of light-houses.” Then in 1877, "As the old dwelling, with a wooden light-tower on the roof, was found to be past repair, a one-and-half story frame, 22 by 31 feet, and a brick light-tower, have been erected, the expense being paid from the general appropriation applicable." In 1880, the roof of the barn was partially renewed and re-shingled, the walls were clapboarded and painted, the window-frames, doors, easings, and floors were renewed, and the exterior walls of the dwelling were repainted. The boat-house received a new sill, door, and floor, the roof was re-shingled, and the walls were clapboarded and painted. In 1884, the boat-slip was rebuilt, a new winch was furnished, and the exterior walls of the buildings were repaired. In 1889, The revolving machine was replaced by one thoroughly renovated. In 1890, a fog-bell to be struck by machinery was authorized at this station, and the bell tower was erected. Minor repairs were made. The 1891 report recorded that a pyramidal skeleton frame tower, built of yellow pine, had recently been bolted to the ledge near the dwelling to house a 1,200-pound bell and striking machinery. In 1895, a brick oil house was added. Then in 1901, the lower end of the boat slip was extended 20 feet, the whole slip was slightly widened. a walk was built on its south side, and various repairs were made.

Sometime before 1899, the United States Light House Establishment made plane table topographical surveys of its property along the North Atlantic Coast and set boundary monuments. At each Light station, a traverse was run with a transit, tide readings were taken and Mean Sea Level, Mean High Water and Mean Low Water were determined, and then benches were established at frequent intervals.

A large plane table was used for the topographical survey, and the plane table sheet used was cloth-backed drawing paper. The transit traverse was plotted very carefully upon the plane table sheet to a scale of 1 : 500 (approximately an inch to 40 ft.), and then the survey was completed upon the plane table sheet. Fathom (6 ft.) contours were located and plotted. Distances to points on contours were measured by stadia.

The party commonly consisted of plane table man (usually in charge), two rodmen with stadia rods (which*were also leveling rods), and two contour sketchers. The method of locating contours was as follows: After setting up the table, orienting, and getting the height of instrument from a nearby bench, the proper rod reading for the contour to be located was figured, and the rodman on either side of the instrument followed out the contour, holding the rod at changes in direction for stadia reading. A sketcher followed and directed each rodman, and sketched the contour between the points where the rod was held, upon sheets of cross-section paper, and at night transferred the contours to the plane table sheet, tieing in by means of the points plotted by the plane table man. Rapid and remarkably accurate results were obtained by this method.

The sketch of Hendricks Head Light shows a long, rather flat promontory. Most of the shorelines are granite ledge.

(Click to enlarge image)

Keeper Jaruel Marr and wife Catherine had five children, and all three of their sons became Maine lighthouse keepers. Two sons, Clarence and Preston, became keepers at Pemaquid Point Light and Portland Breakwater Light respectively. Their son Wolcott Marr entered the Lighthouse Service in 1890 and first served as an assistant at the Cape Elizabeth Two Lights, then at the Cuckolds Fog Signal and Light Station. His next station was his childhood home--Hendricks Head Light.

On July 1, 1895, Wolcott Marr wrote in the log at Hendricks Head, "Arrived at this station at 2 PM to relieve Mr. Jaruel Marr, who has been the keeper here for the past 29 years." Wolcott Marr and his wife Hattie (Hatch) had three children when they moved to Hendricks Head, and six more would be born during their stay at the lighthouse. Wolcott Marr remained keeper at Hendricks Head until his death in 1930.

Charles L. Knight was appointed keeper following the death of Wolcott Marr and served until the light was discontinued as a cost-savings measure in 1933. The light was converted to automatic operation utilizing acetylene gas that year, and the fog bell was discontinued. The light was soon replaced by an offshore buoy.

The light station and the entire peninsula were sold to Dr. William P. Browne of Connecticut. Until then, the house had no electricity or plumbing.

After electricity came to the house in 1951, the Coast Guard decided to reactivate the light, since boating traffic in the area had increased.

In 1976, Dr. Browne's daughter, Mary Charbonneau, and her husband, Gill, winterized the house and occupied it year round. Mr. Charbonneau has received national attention for the miniature ships-in-bottles he constructs.

On January 9, 1978, a fierce coastal storm demolished the boathouse and also destroyed the walkway that had connected the lighthouse to the fog-bell tower. The seawall at Hendricks Head Beach and 250 feet of the beach road were also destroyed.

In 1979, the fifth-order Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern 250 mm optic.

On November 20, 1987, Hendricks Head Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Gil and Mary Charbonneau sold the lighthouse and property in February of 1991 to Ben and Luanne Russell, of Alexander City, Alabama.

The Russell’s completely renovated each of the structures. And by 1993, all were in near perfect condition. The fog-bell tower has been restored to its original configuration but remains inactive. Each structure is white, except the 1895 red brick whale oil house and all buildings now have the typical bright red roofs. Today, the entire point reflects a picture postcard scene, reminiscent of a turn-of-the-century New England light station.

The Hendricks Head Lighthouse can be seen from a public beach in West Southport. Closer views are available from the various boat cruises from out of Boothbay Harbor and Bath.

Hendricks Head

Who was Hendricks?

One researcher, Kraig, from the Lighthouse Friends website, wrote, "In 1735, Nathaniel Hendrick, swapped his land holdings in Arundel, Maine for property on Southport Island, an act that was later certified via a deed at Pemaquid in 1748. The name Hendrick lives on in various features on the island including a harbor, hill, road, head, and a museum--even though the Hendrick family of Southport history departed long ago. It is believed that Nathaniel Hendrick built the dwelling still in use at the head of the cove, near the Southport General Store."

History of Hendricks Head Light, West Southport, Maine

by Jeremy D'Entremont

Some more about the history of the Hendricks Head Lighthouse, along with more photographs and log entry notes, can be found HERE.

[From the website, New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide]

Sources:

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