"Metinicus [sic] Light House"
Designed by Alexander Parris
Drawn by Brown and Hastings, engineers, March 28, 1848
Watercolor on paper
18 1/2" x 22 3/4"
National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the U.S. Coast Guard

Matinicus Lighthouse, Maine
In 1827 the Lighthouse Service erected a pair of wooden light towers and a cobblestone keeper's residence on Matinicus Rock, 18 miles off the coast of Maine. These lights guided sea traffic until 1848 when they were replaced by the granite structure shown here. In 1857 the Government rebuilt the towers and placed them 180 feet apart to make them more effective. Matinicus Rock Lighthouse is one of eight primary navigation aids off the coast of Maine. Alexander Parris, the architect, designed many stone buildings in New England including the 1825 Quincy Market in Boston, Massachusetts.