Here is a nice view of the lighthouse that was built on the east end of Eagle Island in 1839. Eagle Island is in Penobscot Bay, and the lighthouse was constructed to help ships navigate into Bangor, which was establishing itself as a major lumber shipping port. The first light burned whale oil, and emitted a steady white light. The light was automated in 1959, so the Coast Guard tore the house down in 1964. The light tower still stands, though today there are so many trees it can only be seen from out in the bay.

The photograph was taken by Joseph John Kirkbride (1842-1899) about 1890. Kirkbride was not a professional photographer, but a talented amateur. He was a physician from Philadelphia, and the son of Thomas S Kirkbride, M.D., who had been physician to the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane. In the 1860 census their house is the next listing after the list of inmates, so they must have lived next-door to the asylum.