COBBOSSEECONTEE YACHT CLUB (established 1904)
"Keeper" of the Iconic Lighthouse on Ladies' Delight Island (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 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 1900's to provide nighttime navigation assistance around the lake, particularly when boaters left th
The 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 1900's to provide nighttime navigation assistance around the lake, particularly when boaters left the popular dance pavilion on Island Park at the north end of the lake. Ladies' Delight Island is a long shoal running north to south which presents a difficult challenge to boaters at night. The construction of the lighthouse and the beacon that sits atop the structure no doubt saved many a boat captain the embarrassment of striking underwater ledge, or worse, severe damage to hulls and motors.
Our Mission
Today, the Cobbosseecontee Yacht Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the preservation and maintenance of Ladies’ Delight Light. While our name reflects our historic roots, our modern purpose 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
- Sharing the history and significance of the 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
- A cherished part of the lake’s identity
Preserving the lighthouse is 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. Every year, the structure faces:
- Freeze‑thaw cycles that crack masonry
- Storms that batter the tower
- Wear on the solar beacon and power systems
- 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
- 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 CONTAINED EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE CHART MARKINGS, REGATTAS, BOAT NAMES, HOTEL LOCATIONS, RESIDENCES, ETC.
1904 – COBBOSSEECON
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 CONTAINED EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE CHART MARKINGS, REGATTAS, BOAT NAMES, HOTEL LOCATIONS, RESIDENCES, ETC.
1904 – COBBOSSEECONTEE YACHT CLUB IS ESTABLISHED BY DANIEL C. ROBINSON, ITS FIRST COMMODORE. ROBINSON CAME 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 BUILT BY THEIR SON, BERT (ALBERT) FARR, WITH ASSISTANCE FROM ROBERT LEMIEUX. $500 WAS DONATED BY D.C. ROBINSON FOR THE CONSTRUCTION: $400 FOR MATERIALS AND $100 FOR LABOR. THE MOTIVATION TO BUILD THE LIGHTHOUSE CAME FROM THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ISLAND PARK PAVILLION IN 1903, WHICH HAD WEEKLY DANCES AND SKETCHES. PATRONS FROM THE SEVERAL HOTELS AROUND THE LAKE, PLUS THE RESIDENTS SUMMERING ON THE LAKE, WOULD BOAT TO ISLAND PARK. FESTIVITIES WOULD END WELL AFTER SUNDOWN, SO THE BOATS LEFT THE ISLAND PARK AREA AND TRAVELED SOUTH. THE SHOALS AND LEDGES AROUND LADIES’ DELIGHT WERE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO NEGOTIATE AND ONE CAN IMAGINE THAT MORE THAN ONE NIGHTTIME NAVIGATOR STRUCK THOSE UNSEEN HAZARDS.
- ORIGINAL BEACON – ONCE THE LIGHTHOUSE CONSTRUCTION WAS FINISHED, A LIGHT WAS NEEDED TO OPERATE FROM ABOUT 8:00PM TO MIDNIGHT IN THE SUMMER. A KEROSENE LAMP THAT REQUIRED TRIMMING AND THEN LIT EACH DAY, ALONG WEIGHTS THAT WOULD BE WOUND LIKE A GRANDFATHER CLOCK TO ROTATE THE LIGHT, WAS ORIGINALLY TENDED DAILY BY BERT FARR AND A.J. MASON. WHEN HE WASN’T AVAILABLE, HE WOULD HAVE HIS SON MALCOLM ROW TO THE LIGHTHOUSE AND PERFORM THE DUTY. THIS METHOD WAS USED UNTIL THE 1940’S, ALTHOUGH MANY YEARS FROM THE ‘20’S TO AFTER WWII THE LIGHTHOUSE UPKEEP WAS NEGLECTED.
1940’S - AFTER THE YEARS OF NEGLECT DURING THE DEPRESSION AND WAR PERIOD, A NEW TOP WAS FABRICATED IN 1945 BY A TEAM COMPRISED OF PAUL BAILEY, CHARLES HARRIS, AND ANTON LUND. THEY ALSO INSTALLED A NEW LIGHT. THAT WAS STOLEN BUT, NOT TO BE DENIED, THEY INSTALLED ANOTHER LIGHT THAT LASTED THROUGH THE 1946 SEASON BUT CEASED OPERATION UNTIL 1951.
1950’S - IN 1950, HEAVY WINDS BLEW THE STEEL TOP OFF THE LIGHTHOUSE. A SMALL GROUP HEADED BY BRAINARED JACOBS, OWNER OF PACKARD’S CAMPS, AND BROTHER-IN-LAW MELVIN BLACKBURN, RETRIEVED THE TOP FROM THE LAKE. THEY WELDED THE PARTS, REBUILT THE TOP ON THE MAINLAND AND THEN TRANSPORTED IT TO THE ISLAND FOR INSTALLATION. CONCURRENTLY, A NOVEL SYSTEM OF WINDPOWER WAS DESIGNED BY MR. JACOBS SO THAT BATTERIES COULD POWER THE BEACON. PARTS FROM AN AUTOMOBILE CLOCK AND AN ALARM CLOCK WERE USED FOR THE TIMER. THIS SYSTEM OPERATED FROM 8PM TO MIDNIGHT ALL THROUGH THE SUMMER MONTHS. (THERE IS NO RECORD OF HOW MANY SEASONS THIS VERSION OF THE BEACON SYSTEM OPERATED. IT DOES APPEAR THAT THE LIGHT DID OPERATE EACH SUMMER THROUGH THE ENSUING YEARS)
1960’S - DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, CYC BECAME ACTIVE ONCE AGAIN AND THE 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 '60'S 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 THE LAKE AND REMOVING THEM EACH SUMMER SEASON. BERT FARR, PAUL BAILEY, BRAINARD JACOBS, AND RUSSELL PERNETTE PARTICIPATED OVER SEVERAL DECADES IN THIS ENDEAVOR, WITH MR. PERNETTE TENDING TO THEM EACH SUMMER UNTIL AROUND 1960. MALCOLM FARR, SON OF BERT AND, LATER, JOHN GANNETT WERE INVOLVED IN IN PLACING AND TENDING TO THE BUOYS FROM THE ‘60’S TO THE ‘80’S WHEN THE STATE OF MAINE DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR PLACEMENT AND MAINTENANCE YEAR-ROUND. ELAINE FULLER OF MANCHESTER, ONE-TIME COMMODORE OF CYC AND A MEMBER OF THE MAINE LEGISLATURE FOR SEVERAL YEARS, WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN PUSHING THROUGH THIS LEGISLATION.
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