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Ladies Delight Light

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Coordinates: 44°18′16″N 69°53′48″W / 44.30443°N 69.89663°W / 44.30443; -69.89663
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The Ladies Delight Light is a small lighthouse on Lake Cobbosseecontee, Maine, United States. It was constructed in 1908. The tower is 25 feet (7.6 m) tall, and is equipped with a 100-watt light bulb further intensified by a lens from a ship's anchor light.

The lighthouse was designed by Frank Morse, a Boston marine architect. The small island on which it was constructed, Ladies Delight, is formed by the central part of a large reef; the lighthouse was built to keep a passenger launch at the south end of the lake from running aground in the area. The Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club erected the tower with the help of two oxen. Due to the size of their barge, they could only transport one at a time. They took the first one to the island, and then returned to shore for the second. In the interval the first ox grew lonely, and began swimming back to the mainland as the workers returned with its partner. Finally, both oxen were successfully transported, and the lighthouse was built over the course of the summer.

Members of the yacht club have always maintained the lighthouse. Originally its light was provided by kerosene lanterns; a volunteer keeper went out each evening to trim the wicks, clean the globes, and light the beacon. A reflector in the light was rotated by a system of weights from a longcase clock. A wind-powered generator powered the light for a while in the 1930s; currently, power is provided by cable from Manchester. The lantern has been blown off the tower twice; sometime in the 1990s the original iron one was replaced by one made of wood. As of 2006 there was an osprey nest in the top of the tower.

The lighthouse was restored some time around 2000.

August 9, 2008 marked the 100th anniversary and was celebrated with a dedication.

Further reading

  • Caldwell, Bill. (1986) Lighthouses of Maine (Portland, ME: Gannett Books).
  • Clifford, J. Candace, and Clifford, Mary Louise, (2005) Maine Lighthouses: Documentation of Their Past (Alexandria, VA: Cypress Communications). ISBN 0963641263; ISBN 978-0963641267
  • Crompton, Samuel Willard & Michael J. Rhein, The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses (2002) ISBN 1592231020; ISBN 978-1592231027.
  • Great Lakes Light Keepers Association, List of Resources.
  • Jones, Ray & Bruce Roberts, American Lighthouses (Globe Pequot, September 1, 1998, 1st Ed.) ISBN 0762703245; ISBN 978-0762703241.
  • Jones, Ray,The Lighthouse Encyclopedia, The Definitive Reference (Globe Pequot, January 1, 2004, 1st ed.) ISBN 0762727357; ISBN 978-0762727353.
  • Noble, Dennis, Lighthouses & Keepers: U. S. Lighthouse Service and Its Legacy (Annapolis: U. S. Naval Institute Press, 1997). ISBN 1557506388; ISBN 9781557506382.
  • Putnam, George R., Lighthouses and Lightships of the United States, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1933).
  • Roberts, Bruce & Jones, Ray, (2006/05/01) Lighthouses of Maine: A Guidebook And Keepsake ISBN 0762739665; ISBN 9780762739660 Paperback Globe Pequot Press, 96 pages.
  • United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation, (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1945).
  • United States Coast Guard, Aids to Navigation Historical Bibliography.
  • U.S. Coast Guard, Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
  • Jeremy D'Entremont. "Ladies Delight Light / History". New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. Retrieved 2009-02-25. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help)

44°18′16″N 69°53′48″W / 44.30443°N 69.89663°W / 44.30443; -69.89663

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