Back Shore Bug III

Back Shore Bug III is following in the footsteps of its predecessors in seeking out the light houses of the world, to learn their stories, and to be photographed with them, posting the pictures online.  BSB3 is also hoping to find its predecessors who have gone missing in previous years.

Back Shore Bug III is a metal key chain picturing Bass Harbor Headhouse. 

The cliffside Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse in Acadia National Park, Tremont marks the entrance to Bass Harbor on the southwestern side of Mount Desert Island, Maine. The lighthouse was built of brick in 1858 on a stone foundation, stands 56 feet above mean high water and is accessible by car. Parking is free and it is open daily from 9:00 AM to sunset. (lighthouse photos). 

Congress appropriated $5,000 for the construction of the Bass Harbor Head Light after it was determined that “sufficient need” existed to have a lighthouse near the entrance to Bass Harbor. This was followed by the addition of a fog bell and tower in 1876. However, this was replaced by a substantially larger 4,000 pound (1,800 kg) bell in 1898 when it was installed within the tower. On January 21, 1988, the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places, reference number 87002273, under the title of Bass Harbor Head Light Station.

There is also a keeper's house that remains pretty much in its original form other than a 10 foot addition that was added in 1900. However, the house serves as an actual full-time residence for a U.S. Coast Guard family. They ask that their privacy be respected.

You may be surprised to hear that the Bass Harbor Head Light is in Tremont rather than Bass Harbor. The fact is, Bass Harbor is actually a village in the municipality of Tremont along with Bernard, Gotts Island, Seal Cove, and West Tremont.

-Back Shore Bunch 8/2013