Range Light Keepers Trying to Save Bell Tower

05/16/05 9:35 PM

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Range Light Keepers Trying to Save Bell Tower

Maine’s Fiddlers Reach Fog Signal Station, one of the few such remaining buildings in the United States, now in a significant state of deterioration, will be saved if a small group of Maine volunteers has their way.

The Range Light Keepers, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Kennebec River Range Lights in Arrowsic, Maine, a small community on the Kennebec River, south of Bath, wants to restore the Fiddlers Reach Fog Signal Station this summer.

The Fiddlers Reach Fog Signal Station and the Kennebec River Range Lights, with the exception of those on seasonal summer tours out of nearby Bath, are seldom seen or viewed by the general public. This is unfortunate, as the Range Lights are unique; they are the only pair in Maine and continue to be of vital importance after 102 years of operation. However, the fog bell tower was abandoned years ago and has suffered from years of neglect and the elements.

The Range Light Keepers plan to not only restore the unique building, but also restore it with an operating fog bell. They couldn’t get the original fog bell since it is on display at the Coast Guard Academy. So, they searched around and found a 1200-pound replacement bell, which they received last year from Freedom Park in, of all places, Omaha, Nebraska.

The Range Light Keepers are currently holding a raffle for an original oil painting of the Front Range Light donated by noted artist Charles Goodhue. Raffle tickets are available for $2 each or three for $5 and may be purchased directly from the

Range Light Keepers,

HC33, Box 79

Arrowsic, Maine 04530.

The Range Light Keepers are a non-profit group and donations are tax deductible as allowed by law. We would urge our readers to send for raffle tickets and help this group with this worthy cause. But don’t wait too long, the drawing will be held May 31.

This story appeared in the May 2001 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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