Friends of Wood Island Light

Description

A cast steel bell which was fabricated by Sheffield and Sons Co. in Sheffield England in 1872. It was placed in the newly constructed fog bell tower at Wood Island Light Station in 1873. Unfortunately, steel did not hold up very well in the salty air and began to deteriorate quickly. A second "bell metal" bell was installed in the fog bell tower in 1890 and this larger one was removed and placed on the ground in the corner of the yard. It can be seen in various Coast Guard photos presented in this exhibition (1951 and 1975). In 1976 the bell washed into the sea and some local folks decided to rescue it and bring it to the mainland for safe keeping. The transport was made by Marshall Alexander in his boat the DeDeeMae. The bell was placed in the yard of the Union Church, Biddeford Pool until it was recently moved to Vines Landing, which is a more public location. There is a plaque on the wood apparatus which holds the bell and one can see Wood Island Lighthouse in the distance beyond the bell. The bell is dedicated by the Biddeford Historical Society.

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