About Our Organization

Photo by Kaleb Kloppe

Mission Statement

The mission of the Maine Lighthouse Trust is to support Maine’s lighthouse organizations, preservation and restoration groups, nonprofits, and other affiliated organizations to save Maine’s iconic lighthouses and lighthouse heritage through restoration and education for current and future generations via an annual grant program funded by proceeds from Maine’s first lighthouse specialty license plate.

Vision Statement

 The Maine Lighthouse Trust will endeavor to support those who:

  1. Honor the irreplaceable historic legacy of our lighthouses throughout the state of Maine with their preservation/restoration efforts.

  2. Honor the maritime heritage of the keepers and their families who have kept mariners safe for generations.

  3. Foster public awareness of Maine’s historic lighthouses through education, publication, and museums.

  4. Recognize and promote the intrinsic value of these icons and the communities in which they are located.

It all started when…

The Maine Lighthouse Trust is an undertaking of Sean Murphy who after watching his local lighthouse, Wood Island Light, fall into disrepair after it was unmanned in 1986, knew he had to act. He reached out to legendary Maine lighthouse preservationist Timothy Harrison and formed a local non-profit group to save Wood Island Light.

After two decades, the property that was on Lighthouse Digest’s doomsday list, has been totally renovated inside and out to museum quality. The group has raised well over one million dollars and has provided thousands of tours to the offshore island aboard the group’s custom-built landing craft that Sean designed and operated for years.

The idea of a Maine specialty license plate had been a dream of Sean’s for over ten years. After retiring from an extensive career of public service, he decided to advance his dream of helping the greater Maine lighthouse community. He resigned his leadership role in his local lighthouse group and his vision of a lighthouse license plate that would support all of Maine’s lighthouse community was launched.

Sean P. Murphy, Paddy D. Murphy

Sean extensively researched the Maine laws that govern specialty license plates and formed another all-volunteer non-profit organization, the Maine Lighthouse Trust. He reached out to fellow longtime lighthouse volunteer Walter Fowski and their journey began. It took them thru highs and lows of first being approved by the Maine Secretary of State to collect 2000 plus pre-purchases of Maine’s first lighthouse license plate to a longer journey thru the Maine Legislature which involved testifying before the transportation committee and about fifteen further hurdles before it would be sent to the Governor for approval and then eventually becoming law. The first journey into this process was abruptly halted in March of 2020 when covid struck as the bill was more than three quarters into the long process. The team had to begin the process again in 2021.

The bill was passed and signed by Governor Mills in May of 2021, and the first Maine Lighthouse Trust license plate was produced and officially on the road in October of 2021.

"Your commitment to answer our crucial need to build a new walkway, in the likeness of the old historic walkway, is greatly appreciated."

Friends of the Doubling Point Light

Photo by Larry Myhre