The first lighthouse on Curtis island at the entrance to Camden, Maine, was established in 1836. For many years, the island served as a signal station for the large steamships that passed by. The 25-foot brick lighthouse tower that still stands was built in 1896, and the light was automated in 1972.
The Town of Camden now owns the island and the lighthouse. In 2023, the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation was established with a mission to historically restore the light station and to develop a perpetual preservation fund in partnership with the Town of Camden. Michael Skaling is the president of the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation and has taken a lead role in the preservation of the historic site.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org