In a time when acts of goodness and kindness are overshadowed by less altruistic reactions, a story of two small coastal towns communicating and reaching a neighborly decision is worth noting.

In 2023, when the Town of Camden began talking about restoring the Curtis Island Light Station in partnership with the  Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation, members of the Foundation wondered whatever happened to the original Curtis Island fog bell.  The platform for the fog bell stood near the keeper’s house, but no fog bell had been on the platform since the Coast Guard decommissioned the Light Station in 1970 and removed the bell.

The Back Story

A small fog bell was first placed on Curtis Island in 1892.  Then in September 1896, a larger, 1,000-pound fog bell replaced the 1892 bell when the new Light Station buildings were constructed that year.  The new larger bell still required striking by hand. It wasn’t until around 1935 that an electric ringer was finally added. 

The town of Camden took ownership of Curtis Island Light Station in 1973, and no one  seemed to know where the Curtis Island fog bell had gone.  Recently, some have thought the bell on the Town Landing had been the Curtis Island bell.  But the fog bell on the Landing had been presented to the Town by the Coast Guard in 1999 and dedicated on Memorial Day weekend 2000 to honor the men and women who had served on the Curtis Island Light Station. It was not the fog bell that had been on Curtis Island.

Recent developments

Knowing that the fog bell sitting on the Town Landing was not the original Curtis Island fog bell, the Curtis Island Foundation began a search for the bell that had served the Island from 1896 to 1970.  In July 2023, the Foundation published a story in the local media which turned up the answer: the 1896 Curtis Island fog bell was prominently displayed on the grounds of the Deer Isle Stonington Historical Society.  The missing bell had been found! 

Might it be possible to restore the fog bell to Camden?  Improbable, maybe, but worth a try. In the summer of 2024, the Foundation contacted Susan Greenlaw, President of the DIS Historical Society, suggesting a potential swap of the bell on Camden’s public landing for the bell belonging to the Deer Isle Stonington Historical Society.  DISHS trustees agreed to discuss the proposal  at their upcoming meeting in October.  

It was amazing news in October 2024 when the Trustees of Deer Isle Stonington Historical Society  graciously agreed to the swap, and the exchange was scheduled for Spring 2025.

Come spring 2025, the Foundation began preparing for the exchange, but the situation became complicated when they discovered, in conversations with a Coast Guard curator in Washington, D.C., that the fog bell located in Camden was actually “on loan” to Camden and not the property of Camden.  Would the Historical Society trade a bell that they owned for a bell on loan with the Coast Guard?  The situation did not look good.  

Although the Coast Guard was willing to work with the Foundation and Historical Society and provide the necessary forms for the transfer of the “perpetual loan” to the Historical Society, it seemed unlikely that the deal would now be acceptable to the Historical Society.  Would they be willing to give up their bell for one that required a renewal lease every five years?

In early June 2025, the Foundation contacted Historical Society President Greenlaw and explained the complications.  Fact finding and communication with Washington, D.C., Coast Guard curator, Camden Foundation, and Deer Isle Historic Society  about obligations to the Coast Guard, paperwork requirements, and other questions regarding responsibilities took time in June and July. 

The Foundation inquired about the possibility of decommissioning the “loaned” bell so Camden would have an “owned “bell to exchange with Deer Isle.  The Coast Guard discouraged the decommissioning process as it is a lengthy process, not always resulting in the acquisition of the property to the party requesting the decommissioning.  When all information was on the table, the decision was now up to the Trustees at their fall 2025 meeting. 

On October 14, 2025, the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation received the following email from DISHS President Greenlaw: “I am sending you the result of our meeting.  After a long time, the bell is coming home. The trustees of the Deer Isle Stonington Historical Society at our October meeting unanimously agreed that the Curtis Island Bell located here rightfully belongs to you. They do not want a bell in return.  So the Curtis bell plus the platform that holds it can be returned to you at your convenience. … We are pleased that the bell is going home!”

It wasn’t easy; it took time. The fact that two communities trusted each other and with goodwill, communication, and problem-solving reached a favorable and fair solution is testament to the goodness of people. As expressed by DISHS President Susan Greenlaw “The world needs people looking out for each other. That is the only way to get anything done.” 

If plans proceed as anticipated, the 1,000-pound fog bell is scheduled to be relocated and re-installed on Curtis Island in the summer of 2026, coinciding with restoration projects for the Light Keeper's House and Light Tower.

For those interested in supporting the restoration efforts or contributing to the return of the Fog Bell, please contact the Curtis Island Lighthouse Foundation at info@curtisisland.org or visit: www.curtisisland.org.

Pat Skaling lives in Camden