>> Click to enlarge << This Drum Lens that was once in the lantern of ...

After a lengthy negotiation caused mainly by government bureaucracy, the drum lens from Marshall Point Lighthouse that had been on display for many years at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland has been returned to lighthouse for display in its museum.

>> Click to enlarge << Coast Guard lighthouse keeper Ralph Banks, who ...

But the location of the valuable 5th order Fresnel lens that was in the lantern at Marshall Point Lighthouse from 1857 to 1971 remains a mystery to this day. When the Fresnel lens was removed from the tower, it was replaced by the drum lens and the 5th order Fresnel lens was put on display at the Rockland Coast Guard Station. However, in 1974 the Fresnel lens mysteriously disappeared. It is known that it was not among the artifacts that were later transferred to the Shore Village Museum, which later became the Maine Lighthouse Museum.

>> Click to enlarge << The family of Coast Guard lighthouse keeper Ralph ...

According to the United States Coast Guard, the lens is still government property, and they are hoping that the person or family that has the lens in their possession will return it to Marshall Point Lighthouse. No questions will be asked.