View source for Halfway Rock Light

{{Infobox lighthouse       
  | image_name = Halfway Rock Light.JPG
  | caption = Undated US Coast Guard photo
  | location = Casco bay off Bailey island
  | yearbuilt = 1871
  | yearlit = 1871
  | automated = 1975
  | yeardeactivated = 
  | foundation = Granite
  | construction = Granite
  | shape = Conical
  | marking = White with black lantern
  | coordinates = {{coord|43|39|20.8|N|70|2|12.426|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
  | pushpin_map     = Maine
 | pushpin         = lighthouse
  | focalheight = {{convert|76|ft}}
  | elevation = 
  | lens = 3rd order [[Fresnel lens]] (1871), [[VRB-25]] (1994)
  | intensity = 
  | range = {{convert|19|nmi}}
  | characteristic = Fl R 5s
  |fogsignal = HORN: 2 every 30s<br>operates continuously<ref name="cgll">{{cite uscgll|1|2009|1}}</ref><ref name="cghist">{{cite uscghist|ME|date=2009-08-08}}</ref><ref name="rowlett">{{cite rowlett|me2|date=2009-10-09}}</ref>
| module = {{Infobox NRHP
| embed        = yes
| name         = Halfway Rock Light Station
| nrhp_type    =
| image        =
| caption      =
| nearest_city = [[South Harpswell, Maine]]
| area         =
| architect    = US Army Corps of Engineers
| architecture =
| added        = March 14, 1988
| mpsub        = Light Stations of Maine MPS
| refnum       = 88000150<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Halfway Rock Lighthouse''' is a [[lighthouse]] located on a barren ledge in [[Casco Bay]], [[Maine]]. The lighthouse tower, which has a height of {{convert|76|ft|m}}, and the attached ex-boathouse are all that remain, as the other buildings have been taken away in storms. The name "Halfway Rock" comes from the position of the rock which is halfway between [[Cape Elizabeth, Maine|Cape Elizabeth]] and [[Cape Small]], the southwest and northeast extremities of Casco Bay, which are about {{convert|18|nmi|km}} apart.

Halfway Rock Light was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as '''Halfway Rock Light Station''' on March 14, 1988.

Halfway Rock Light Station was purchased in 2014 by a private individual, Ford Reiche, per [[DIY Network]]'s Building Off the Grid program that shows the reclamation and restoration of the property.<ref>[https://www.discovery.com/shows/building-off-the-grid-maine-lighthouse Building Off the Grid: Maine Lighthouse]</ref><ref>[https://www.pressherald.com/2016/07/10/cumberland-man-works-to-restore-his-own-private-lighthouse/ Cumberland man works to restore his own private lighthouse|Ford Reiche paid $283,000 for Halfway Rock, a former Coast Guard lighthouse 4 miles off Harpswell, and he is undertaking a painstaking renovation]</ref>

==History==
The need for a lighthouse on Halfway Rock first came to attention when, in the year 1835, a ship called ''Samuel'' ran aground on the rock during a storm. Because the ledge is only ten feet above high tide on a calm day, it becomes hard to see during storms. The cry for a lighthouse was ignored in Washington until, again, in 1861, a ship ran aground on Halfway Rock. This time, it was taken a bit more seriously. Construction began, but was delayed time and time again due to lack of supplies and lack of workmen. Ten years later, in 1871, the first light shone from Halfway Rock, as a new light had been completed. The keepers' quarters were originally inside the lighthouse tower. An 1888 boathouse contained additional living space for the keepers in its upper story.

The light was originally produced by a third-order [[Fresnel lens]].  Its characteristic was fixed white punctuated by a red flash once every minute. A fog bell was brought to the rock in 1887. It had a bit of success, but as technology kept coming out with new innovations, the bell was replaced with a fog "trumpet" in 1905. Since this was a difficult lighthouse station to reach, in the mid-1930s, the Coast Guard began bringing a tender to bring the men onto the mainland and back out to the rock. In addition to this, there was a helicopter landing pad in case of emergency. The light was automated in 1975 and the keepers were removed. The marine railway was destroyed by the [[1991 Perfect Storm]]. The old Fresnel lens is now at the museum at the [[U.S. Coast Guard Academy]] in New London, CT; the active optic is a [[VRB-25]]. The attached wood building was badly damaged by storms in 2007. The lighthouse was licensed to the [[American Lighthouse Foundation]], and the organization raised funds for its restoration.<ref name=cghist/>

The Halfway Rock Light was sold at auction for $283,000 in September 2014.<ref>{{cite news |title=Halfway Rock Light auction closes with highest bid ever for Maine lighthouse |url=http://bangordailynews.com/2014/09/22/news/midcoast/halfway-rock-light-auction-closes-with-highest-bid-ever-for-maine-lighthouse/ |work=[[Bangor Daily News]]}}</ref> The historic [[building restoration]] was the subject of a 2017 episode of ''[[Building Off the Grid]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Building Off the Grid: Maine Lighthouse |url=http://www.diynetwork.com/shows/building-off-the-grid-maine-lighthouse/episodes/specials/building-off-the-grid-maine-lighthouse |website=DIY }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in Cumberland County, Maine]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [http://www.lighthousefoundation.org/alf_lights/halfwayrock/hrl_int_2006mar.htm Pictures of the inside of Halfway Rock Light]
* [http://www.lhdigest.com/Digest/StoryPage.cfm?StoryKey=1569 Ken Rouleau’s Year at Halfway Rock]

{{commons category|Halfway Rock Light}}

{{Lighthouses of Maine}}
{{National Register of Historic Places}}

[[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1871]]
[[Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine]]
[[Category:Lighthouses in Cumberland County, Maine]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Harpswell, Maine]]
[[Category:Casco Bay]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cumberland County, Maine]]