Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club - Caretaker of Ladies' Delight Lighthouse
"Keeper" of the Iconic Ladies' Delight Lighthouse on Lake Cobbosseecontee (Built in 1908)
About Our Lighthouse
Historical Significance of Ladies' Delight Lighthouse
A Timeline of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club and Lighthouse
A Timeline of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club and Lighthouse
The Ladies' Delight Lighthouse on Ladies' Delight Island, built in 1908, stands as a testament to the long history of the Lake Cobbosseecontee community. It plays a crucial role in guiding boats safely across the lake at night. The need arose in the early 1900s to provide nighttime navigation assistance around Lake Cobbosseecontee, partic
The Ladies' Delight Lighthouse on Ladies' Delight Island, built in 1908, stands as a testament to the long history of the Lake Cobbosseecontee community. It plays a crucial role in guiding boats safely across the lake at night. The need arose in the early 1900s to provide nighttime navigation assistance around Lake Cobbosseecontee, particularly when boaters left the popular dance pavilion on Island Park at the north end. Ladies' Delight Island is a long shoal running north to south, posing a difficult challenge to boaters at night. The construction of the lighthouse and the beacon that sits atop the structure no doubt saved many boat captains from the embarrassment of striking underwater ledge or, worse, suffering severe damage to their hulls and motors. Today, the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and maintenance of the Ladies' Delight Lighthouse. While our name reflects our historic roots, our modern mission is focused and clear: protect the lighthouse, preserve its history, and ensure it continues to shine for generations to come. What We Do: CYC manages all aspects of lighthouse stewardship, including structural restoration and preservation, maintenance of the solar beacon and power systems, seasonal and post-storm inspections, long-term planning for the lighthouse’s future, and sharing the history and significance of Ladies' Delight Light with the community. Our work is hands-on, year-round, and essential to keeping the lighthouse standing strong. Why It Matters: Ladies' Delight Light is more than a navigational aid; it is a symbol of the unique location of Lake Cobbosseecontee, a piece of Maine’s inland maritime history, a safety beacon protecting boaters from a dangerous reef, and a cherished part of the lake’s identity. Preserving the lighthouse means preserving the spirit of the lake itself. How You Can Help: CYC relies on the generosity of donors, lake residents, and visitors who believe in protecting this historic landmark. Every contribution supports the ongoing care, restoration, and preservation of Ladies' Delight Light. Together, we can ensure that the light continues to shine — safely, proudly, and beautifully — for the next hundred years. Why Your Support Matters: Ladies' Delight Light stands on a tiny island exposed to wind, waves, ice, and time. Each year, the structure faces freeze-thaw cycles that crack masonry, storms that batter the tower, wear on the solar beacon and power systems, and erosion and shifting stonework. Without ongoing restoration and maintenance, the lighthouse simply would not survive. Your support directly funds structural repairs and preservation, beacon and solar system upgrades, seasonal inspections and emergency fixes, long-term restoration planning, and historical documentation and public education. Every contribution helps keep the light shining — literally.
A Timeline of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club and Lighthouse
A Timeline of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club and Lighthouse
A Timeline of the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club and Lighthouse
1900 – Daniel Robinson, a retired naval officer and summer resident of Lake Cobbosseecontee (Hammonds Grove), published the Robinson Chart along with the companion publication “The Cobbosseecontee Pilot.” The Pilot included explanations about the chart markings, regattas, boat names, hotel locations, residences, and more. 1904 – Cobbossee
1900 – Daniel Robinson, a retired naval officer and summer resident of Lake Cobbosseecontee (Hammonds Grove), published the Robinson Chart along with the companion publication “The Cobbosseecontee Pilot.” The Pilot included explanations about the chart markings, regattas, boat names, hotel locations, residences, and more. 1904 – Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club was established by Daniel C. Robinson, its first Commodore. Robinson hailed from the Boston area and was a member of the Boston Yacht Club. 1907/8 – Ladies’ Delight Island was leased to the yacht club for 99 years by Katharine Elliott Farr and Clifford B. Farr. The lighthouse on Ladies’ Delight Island was constructed by their son, Bert (Albert) Farr, with assistance from Robert Lemieux. Daniel C. Robinson donated $500 for the construction: $400 for materials and $100 for labor. The motivation to build the lighthouse stemmed from the establishment of the Island Park Pavilion in 1903, which featured weekly dances and sketches. Patrons from the several hotels around Lake Cobbosseecontee, along with residents summering on the lake, would boat to Island Park. Festivities often extended well after sundown, and as boats departed from Island Park area heading south, they encountered the treacherous shoals and ledges around Ladies’ Delight. One can imagine that more than one nighttime navigator struck those unseen hazards. Original Beacon – Once construction of the lighthouse was completed, a light was needed to operate from about 8:00 PM to midnight during summer months. A kerosene lamp, which needed daily trimming and lighting, along with weights that rotated the light like a grandfather clock, was originally maintained by Bert Farr and A.J. Mason. When he was unavailable, Bert’s son Malcolm would row to the lighthouse to fulfill this duty. This method was employed until the 1940s, even though lighthouse upkeep was neglected for many years from the '20s to after WWII. 1940s - After years of neglect during the Depression and war period, a new top for the lighthouse was fabricated in 1945 by a team comprised of Paul Bailey, Charles Harris, and Anton Lund. They also installed a new light, which was stolen; however, undeterred, they installed another light that lasted through the 1946 season but ceased operation until 1951. 1950s - In 1950, strong winds blew the steel top off the Ladies’ Delight Lighthouse. A small group led by Brainard Jacobs, owner of Packard’s Camps, along with his brother-in-law Melvin Blackburn, retrieved the top from the lake. They welded the parts, rebuilt the top on the mainland, and transported it to the island for re-installation. Concurrently, an innovative system of wind power was designed by Mr. Jacobs to use batteries for the beacon. Parts from an automobile clock and an alarm clock served as the timer, ensuring operation from 8 PM to midnight during the summer months. (There is no record of how many seasons this beacon system operated, but it appears that the light functioned each summer in the ensuing years.) 1960s - During this time, CYC became active once again, and the Ladies’ Delight Lighthouse beacon was updated. A long underwater cable, approximately 1/2-mile in length, was connected to an electrical box at the Manchester property of Charles McCarthy, who later became Commodore. From the '60s until 2017, that cable powered the light until a solar-powered marine-grade beacon was installed. Marks/Buoys – The yacht club was responsible for placing the marking buoys on Lake Cobbosseecontee and removing them each summer season. Bert Farr, Paul Bailey, Brainard Jacobs, and Russell Pernette participated in this effort over several decades, with Mr. Pernette tending to the buoys each summer until about 1960. Malcolm Farr, Bert’s son, and later John Gannett were involved in placing and attending to the buoys from the '60s to the '80s, when the State of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife accepted responsibility for placement and maintenance year-round. Elaine Fuller of Manchester, a former Commodore of CYC and member of the Maine Legislature for several years, played a crucial role in advancing this legislation.
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