Mistake Island

Mistake Island
View of Mistake Island from the sea,
Interactive map of Mistake Island
Geography
LocationAtlantic Ocean
Area27 acres (11 ha)
Highest elevation14 ft (4.3 m)

Mistake Island is an island in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Maine. It has been noted for its unusual place name. Mistake Island is the location of the Moose Peak Lighthouse. It is an exceptionally foggy area. Portions of the 2016 film To Keep the Light were filmed on the island.

Description

Mistake Island has an area of 27 acres and an elevation of 14 feet. It is just east of Great Wass Island at the southern entrance to Eastern Bay and five nautical miles southeast of Jonesport. It contains little vegetation, though in 1907 Joseph Augustine Cushman found specimens of Primula farinosa macropoda on the island.

The island is foggy about 20% of the time, making it one of the foggiest areas in Maine. Between 1918 and 1934 it averaged 1,067 hours per year in the fog. During 1966, the fog signal needed to be on for a total of 2,485.3 hours.

Moose Peak Light

Moose Peak Lighthouse on Mistake Island

Moose Peak Light is a lighthouse on the east end of Mistake Island. The lighthouse is usually closed to visitors, but is opened for the annual Maine Open Lighthouse Day in September.

The lighthouse is constructed mainly of brick with a stone foundation.

During the 1800s, it was also referred to as the Moose-a-bec Light-house.

History

Moose Peak Light was first built in 1826. The initial structure was 24 feet tall and constructed of rubblestone. It was rebuilt from brick in 1851, with second-order Fresnel lens being added in 1856. A new watchroom and staircase were added in 1886. The light was fully automated in 1972.

Moose Peak Light was sold at auction in January 2013 to a private owner from Connecticut.

To Keep the Light

Indie filmmaker Erica Fae filmed several parts of her 2016 period drama To Keep the Light on Mistake Island. The film follows Annie, the wife of an ailing lighthouse keeper, with Moose Peak Light serving as the lighthouse. In writing To Keep the Light, Fae states she was inspired by the stories of female lighthouse keepers like Abbie Burgess and Ida Lewis.

Fae served as the director, writer, lead actress, and co-producer with Jane Applegate for the film. The other cast included David Patrick Kelly as Brackett and Antti Reini as Johan. Music for the film was composed by Caroline Shaw.

Reception and awards

Fae received several awards for To Keep the Light, including the Emerging Director Award at St. Louis International Film Festival, the Best Director award at the Berlin Indepedent Film Festival, and the Fipresci Prize. Wes Cardino, the director of photography, won the award for Best Cinematography in a feature narritive at the 2016 Woods Hole Film Festival.

References

  1. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mistake Island
  2. ↑ Vietze, Andrew Dr. (July 15, 2009). Insiders' Guide to the Maine Coast. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 189. ISBN 978-0-7627-5608-7.
  3. ↑ "View from Moosepeak Light, Jonesport, ca. 1920". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maine". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
  5. ↑ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 16.
  6. ↑ Rowlett, Russ (October 9, 2009). "Lighthouses of the United States: Eastern Maine". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  7. ↑ Survey, U.S. Coast and Geodetic (1879). Atlantic Local Coast Pilot: Sub-division 1: Passamaquoddy Bay to Schoodic. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 62.
  8. ↑ Pease, Arthur Stanley (1929). The Library Has a Collection of Papers by Arthur Stanley Pease, Mainly Cuttings and Reprints from Various Periodicals. p. 217.
  9. ↑ Buckler, Melissa (September 17, 2019). "Moose Peak Light". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Buckler 2019.
  11. ↑ Department of Transportation. (December 1, 1966). "Moose Peak, December 1966". U.S. Coast Guard. p. 3. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  12. ↑ Rhein, Michael (August 1, 2011). Lighthouses - A Spotter's Guide: The Essential Enthusiast's Handbook. Andrews UK Limited. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-887354-79-0.
  13. ↑ St Pierre, Ariana (September 8, 2023). "Maine's historic lighthouses welcome visitors for a special day of exploration and learning". WGME. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Maine Open Lighthouse Day: Nearly 20 lighthouses are welcoming visitors". News Center Maine. September 12, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ United States Congress House (1842). House Documents, Otherwise Publ. as Executive Documents: 13th Congress, 2d Session-49th Congress, 1st Session. pp. 84–85. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  16. ↑ USA Life Saving Service (1884). Annual Report of the United States Life-Saving Service: For the Fiscal Year Ended. 1883 (1884), 30. Juni. p. 195. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
  17. ↑ D'Entremont, Jeremy. "Moose Peak Lighthouse". New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  18. ↑ Atlantic Boating Almanacs: Maine To Cape Cod, Ma. ProStar Publications. December 1, 2003. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-57785-501-9.
  19. 1 2 3 4 D'Entremont n.d.
  20. ↑ Billings, Johanna S. (May 4, 2016). "Filmmaker eager to bring movie shot in Jonesport back to Maine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 Billings 2016.
  22. ↑ Rowen, Bess (March 30, 2016). "Shine On: Erica Fae's to Keep the Light". HuffPost. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  23. ↑ Pütter, Alexandra (2016). "65. Internationales Film festival Mannheim-Heidelberg". cameralucida.net. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  24. ↑ LaDuke, Sarah (October 14, 2016). "Caroline Shaw's Beautifully Spare Score For To Keep The Light". WAMC. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  25. ↑ "St. Louis International Film Festival Announces Winners". WKTimes LLC. November 3, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Erica Fae". David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  27. ↑ "2016 Festival Directors Awards : FESTIVAL 2027: JULY 31 - AUGUST 7". woodsholefilmfestival.org. Retrieved October 26, 2026.
  28. ↑ Pütter 2016.

44°28′30″N 67°32′10″W / 44.47500°N 67.53611°W / 44.47500; -67.53611