Bristol, Maine — Landing Site of the Blaisdells, 1635
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse
The only lighthouse to appear on Federal currency — the Maine State quarter.
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse Is Restored
Pemaquid Point Lighthouse, the only lighthouse to appear on Federal currency (Maine State quarter), is sparkling like new again, thanks to restoration efforts led by the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) and its Friends of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse (FPPL) chapter.
The restoration of the 1835 lighthouse took eight weeks to complete at a cost of $106,000.
On September 25, 2007, Maine's First Lady, Karen Baldacci, joined the sponsors to celebrate the exterior restoration of Pemaquid Point Lighthouse. She said, "Pemaquid Point Lighthouse is an iconic image of Maine's majestic coastline, and it's important…that we preserve the history that has made us who we are." The restored lighthouse is a "tribute to her many years of lighting our coast and guiding our ships to safe harbor."
In 2007 Pemaquid Point Lighthouse had 29,716 visitors, twice as many as any other in the American Lighthouse Federation, Rockland, ME. Cold winters and salt air damage is repaired in the spring. Future plans call for the interior restoration to re-point the brickwork and seal inside leaks.
[Bruce A. Barmby, Florida, and Eleanor Blaisdell, Maine, submitted recent issues of the American Lighthouse Foundation's newsletter for this story.]
Visit Pemaquid Point Association →Historical Significance
Where the Blaisdell Story Began
Pemaquid Point is where Ralph Bleasdale and his family first set foot in America on August 14, 1635, after sailing from Bristol, England aboard the Angel Gabriel. The ship was destroyed in the Great Colonial Hurricane the following morning. This rugged Maine coastline has been the spiritual home of the Blaisdell family for nearly 400 years, and the site of the BFNA's 10-year Grand Reunions.