News Release

National Park Service Accepts Ownership of Bass Harbor Head Light Station

Bass Harbor Head Light Station

NPS Photo by Kent Miller

News Release Date: July 15, 2020

Contact: Christie Anastasia, 207 288-8806

BAR HARBOR, MAINE — The National Park Service (NPS) is excited to announce that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) transferred the Bass Harbor Head Light Station from the U.S. Coast Guard to Acadia National Park on July 8, 2020. Constructed in 1858, the light station was transferred at no expense to the NPS under the authority of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA). The Bass Harbor Head Light Station is now one of three light stations in Acadia National Park joining the Baker Island and Bear Island lights.

“We are grateful to Friends of Acadia for supporting this transfer through their 2018 benefit auction,” said Superintendent Kevin Schneider. “We were able to use that support to complete a Historic Structures Report that will guide our preservation of the building into the future.”

“I am excited that the GSA New England Real Property Utilization and Disposal team was able to facilitate this transfer between our Federal partners under the NHLPA,” said Christopher Averill, Regional Administrator, GSA Region One. “Bass Harbor Head Light Station is an iconic part of the Acadia National Park landscape and will now be enjoyed by generations of visitors to come.”
 
“The transfer of Bass Harbor Head Light is another great example of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA) process working smoothly,” said Captain Brian J. LeFebvre, USCG Commander, Sector Northern New England. “It is the best way to offer continued public access to Bass Harbor Head Light and ensure that the special historic character of the light will be preserved.”
 
The NHLPA program is a partnership among the U.S. Coast Guard, National Park Service, the U.S. General Services Administration and new stewards.

The NHLPA recognizes the cultural, recreational and educational value associated with historic light stations by allowing these national treasures to be transferred at minimal cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit corporations, educational and community development organizations.

The acquisition includes five historic buildings on two acres of land. The NPS will maintain the lighthouse in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and will develop plans to stabilize the structure, protect it from deterioration, and potentially provide for visitor access in the future. The U.S. Coast Guard will continue to operate and maintain the automated aid to navigation.  

The light station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.