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A lighthouse on the east point of Mistake Island, about five miles south of Jonesport, was authorized by President John Quincy Adams in 1825. The first light was completed in 1827 and fitted with a second-order Fresnel lens in 1856. The present 57-foot brick tower was built in 1887. In 1901 the original keeper's house was replaced and connected to the lighthouse by a walkway.
Moose Peak Light was the foggiest station on the Maine Coast. A fog signal was installed in 1912 and during the period from 1918 to 1934, the keepers recorded that the island averaged 1,607 hours of fog per year, or about 20 percent of the time.
The light was automated in 1972 and the Fresnel lens removed. In 1982 the keeper's house was blown up as a military training exercise. The exercise also damaged panes in the lighthouse lantern. Although in Clear weather the light can be seen distantly from Great Wass Island, it is best viewed by boat or air.
Directions:
In Jonesport at the "Bridge Street" and "Beal's Island" signs turn off Route 187 onto the bridge to Beal's Island. On the island, turn left and continue on Great Wass Road across Beal's Island to the road's end on Great Wass Island. Walk to the top of the rocky knoll or walk along the shore to the point; Moose peak light can be seen in the distance, to the east, in the V-shaped part of the island.
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