The Museum’s History
The Bell
The large bell made famous by the Jamie Wyeth painting, “Bronze Age”
was cast by Henry N. Hooper & Co. in 1855 and employed as a signal
bell by the Manana Fog Signal Station for about 15 years until it was
replaced by a steam driven trumpet. The bell was acquired by the
Monhegan Associates in 1969 and moved by helicopter to Lighthouse Hill
in 1972. It now hangs from its stanchion on a permanent base outside
the entrance to the Museum.
The Outbuildings
In 1970 an outbuilding was renovated to display ice cutting equipment
and other materials relevant to the history of ice cutting on Monhegan.
The following year another outbuilding was converted into a replica of
a Monhegan fish house. In 1980 the lighthouse and the Museum
buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
