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This island takes its name from two solitary pine tress that served as day beacons before the 42-foot square lighthouse was built in 1897. Located just outside the west side of Penobscot Bay, almost directly south of Owls Head, this light marks the north end of Two Bush Channel, a Principal sea lane to west Penobscot Bay. The Trees are long gone and the location remains among the more lonely and isolated along the coast.
Legend tells of a keeper's dog-named Smut who was involved in a heroic rescue. The story tells that, during a snowstorm, a fishing schooner was in danger of being smashed on the rocky shores of the island. The fishermen had taken to a dory as a leak opened on the vessel. When trying to find a way to land at Two Bush, they heard Smut barking. Alerted by the dog's commotion, the keeper ran to the shore and saw the two men in the dory. Although their boat was overturned by a wave, the fishermen were hauled ashore by the keeper and his assistant. Smut welcomed the visitors with licks and both mariners offered to buy the dog at any price. The Keeper refused to sell.
Two Bush Light was automated in 1964; in 1970 the Coast Guard allowed the Green Berets to destroy the keeper's house as a demolition exercise. Today the light stands alone on the stark island and must be photographed by boat or air. The lighthouse is owned by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. |
