Wood Island Light
Wood Island Light in May 2017 | |
| Location | Biddeford, Maine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 43°27′24.7″N 70°19′44.6″W / 43.456861°N 70.329056°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1808 |
| Foundation | Natural Emplaced |
| Construction | Granite rubble |
| Automated | 1986 |
| Height | 47 feet (14 m) |
| Shape | conical |
| Markings | White with black lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Fog signal | Horn: 2 every 30 seconds |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1858 (current tower) |
| Focal height | 71 feet (22 m) |
| Lens | 4th order Fresnel lens (original), VLB-44 (current) |
| Range | White: 18 nautical miles (33 km; 21 mi), green: 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) |
| Characteristic | Alternating white and green lights every 10 seconds |
Wood Island Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Biddeford, Maine |
| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1808 |
| Architect | US Army Corps of Engineers |
| MPS | Light Stations of Maine MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 87002274 |
| Added to NRHP | January 21, 1988 |
Wood Island Light is an active lighthouse on the eastern edge of Wood Island in Saco Bay, on the southern coast of Maine. The light is just outside the entrance to Biddeford Pool and the end of the Saco River. The lighthouse is a 47-foot (14 m) conical white tower of granite rubble. The light itself sits 71 feet (22 m) above mean high water. Its automated beacon alternates between green and white every 10 seconds.
Wood Island Light is Maine's second-oldest lighthouse (after Portland Head Light) and the nation's eleventh-oldest. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Wood Island Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002274.
The United States Coast Guard maintains the active beacon of the lighthouse, while The Friends of Wood Island Light, a non-profit organization, has assisted the Coast Guard by maintaining and restoring parts of the lighthouse and keepers dwellings.