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Lake Sunapee, NH

Burkehaven Lighthouse
Lake Sunapee, NH

Burkehaven lighthouse

Sunapee, New Hampshire
Built in 1893


Location:

Located just offshore on a rock near the tip of Burkehaven Isle in Lake Sunapee, south of Sunapee Harbor.

Latitude: 43° 22' 18" N
Longitude: 72° 03' 57" W

 

Historic Stories:

The original lighthouse was built in the 1893 by the Woodsum Brothers along with two other lighthouses on Lake Sunapee to protect their interests in the steamship service that they offered for travelers who would frequent the many resorts along the shoreline of Lake Sunapee. In the 1930's, due to the economic hardship of the government and local communities from the Great Depression, the region was hard hit which resulted in the dramatic decline of steamship travel and tourism in the area. Steamship travel never recovered here and ended abruptly.

In 1935, Burkehaven light was destroyed by ice and was left to further deteriorate from lack of funding for repairs, due again to the Great Depression.

In 1983, the Lake Sunapee Protective Association raised funds and rebuilt the lighthouse. By 1994 the crib on which the lighthouse stands had again been badly damaged by ice and was rebuilt again. Burkehaven lighthouse on a hot summer day

 

 

Places to Visit Nearby:

Sunapee Harbor is very rustic as if stuck in time. It has a quaint country store and a few specialty shops, artists' galleries, restaurants, and entertainment.

The Lake Sunapee region is named for the spectacular lake and the mountain that rises from its southern shore, it is nine miles long and three miles wide.

Lake Sunapee’s rocky shore with its three working lighthouses also contains many private and public beaches, especially the public beach at Mt. Sunapee State Park. kayaks on the Lake Sunapee shore

You can also hike some of the well-marked trails on Mt. Sunapee, which is also a favorite skiing spot in the winter. Each August the State Park is the site for the nation's oldest crafts event, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair.

Mount Sunapee is a 5-mile long mountain ridge in the towns of Newbury and Goshen in western New Hampshire.

mountain fall foliage in the Lake Sunapee region The state park's extensive trail system is used in all seasons for hiking and in winter for snowshoeing.

The Mount Sunapee State Park is used by visitors who prefer a more rustic appeal to the area, without the amenities. In the winter, alpine skiing is available at the Mt Sunapee resort. There are three trails that lead from the base to the summit of Mount Sunapee. Near the top of Mount Sunapee, about a mile hike from the summit lodge, is Lake Solitude. This small isolated lake is in the crater of an ancient volcano.

Mt. Kearsage Indian Museum is an educational museum about Native American cultures and environmental responsibility.

Explore the 200-year-old Ruggles Mine in Grafton with its giant rock rooms and tunnels.

antique checker board Along with plenty of antique shops in the regions, the grand daddy of them all is the spacious Prospect Hill Antiques and Home Furnishings store in Georges Mills.

Mount Sunapee is also a link within two long-distance trails: Monadnock Sunapee Greenway and the Sunapee-Ragged-Kearsarge Greenway for the serious hikers.

 

Directions to Sunapee Harbor:

All three lighthouses on Lake Sunapee are best viewed by boat.

 

Contact Info:

Lake Sunapee Protection Association
63 Main Street
PO Box 683
Sunapee NH 03782
Phone (603) 763-2210

 

M.V. Mt. Sunapee boat for tours on lake Sunapee

Boat Tour on Lake Sunapee, NH

Sunapee Cruises
The M.V. Kearsarge, which includes dinner cruises, runs various tours that go past the lighthouses. The M.V. Mt Sunapee runs a lighthouse and nature tour every day in the summer.

Sunapee Harbor, Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire 03782
Phone (603) 763-4030
Email: tours@sunapeecruises.com

 

 

My 300-page book (with over 360 images), Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, published by Schiffer Publishing, provides human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses in the northeast, along with plenty of coastal attractions and tours near each beacon.

Look inside!

book northern New England lighthouses and local coastal attractions

 

 

 

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