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Marshall Point Light - An historical landmark with a famous Hollywood cameo

Marshall Point Light (+43° 55' 3.00", -69° 15' 41.00") is located at the tip of the St. George peninsula, overlooking both Muscongus Bay and Penobscot Bay. Even though you may not realize it, you (and a million others) have seen Marshall Point Light on the big screen since this wooden catwalk was the finish line for Forrest’s run across the country in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump.

Today Marshall Point Light is an active U.S. Coast Guard navigational aid with a characteristic of a fixed white light, and a range of thirteen nautical miles. The fog signal blasts once every ten seconds. However to get to present-day, this lighthouse has had a lengthy history.

The first lighthouse was built with rubblestone on this site in 1832. It was a 20-foot tall, conical tower with a diameter of 17 feet at its base. The lantern room contained seven lard oil lamps. A 46’ x 20’, two-story, six-room, rubblestone keeper’s dwelling was also erected that year. In 1858, a new tower was built. This cylindrical tower was built of granite and brick, with a cast-iron lantern that had a fifth-order Fresnel lens, showcasing a fixed white light. In 1895, the dwelling was destroyed by lightening and needed to be rebuilt. In 1898, a bell tower was added to the station and it featured a 1,018-pound brass bell. In 1969, a foghorn replaced the bell and the bell tower was torn down.

Keeper Charles Clement Skinner, a Civil War veteran, served at the Marshall Point Light from 1874 until 1919, the longest period of service for a keeper at one lighthouse in United States history. Marshall Point Light was automated in 1971. A LORAN Station was established at the site, and the dwelling was remodeled to serve that purpose. However, the LORAN Station was closed, and the house was boarded up and deserted by 1980.

Understandably the dwelling suffered from neglect until St. George Historical Society began a home restoration in 1986. The Town of St. George officially took ownership of the lighthouse, dwelling and grounds in 1998, as part of the Maine Lights Program. The light station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On June 30, 1990, two of keeper Skinner’s children, Marion (at the age of 95) and Eula (at the age of 99), cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Marshall Point Lighthouse Museum, which is open today on the lower floor of the dwelling. In 1995, an addition was created to provide more space for exhibits.

More than 10,000 people visit the museum each year. This facility is open Memorial Day through Columbus Day and staffed entirely by volunteers. Exhibit highlights include: Local Quarry History, Lobstering in St. George, and Lighthouse Memorabilia. There is also a gift shop that sells locally crafted items, clothing, books, and artwork from local artists.

We would like to thank Robert English for granting us permission to use his images of Marshall Point Light. You can view more images of Marshall Point Light and Maine Lighthouses by visitng Robert's Flickr page.