Grindle Point Light stands at Islesboro’s westernmost point, marking the west entrance to Gilkey Harbor in Penobscot Bay near the ferry wharf on Ferry Road. Authorized by the United States Navy in 1849, the light station was established in 1850, and its first tower and keeper’s house were completed the next year. After those brick buildings deteriorated, the present station was constructed on their foundations in 1874. Named for second keeper Francis Grindle, the site later faced delayed automation, deactivation in 1934, municipal purchase, and conversion into a museum. Public pressure brought the light’s restoration in 1987, and it remains both a navigational aid and local landmark.