At the direction of President John Quincy Adams, the United States built the Pemaquid Point Light Station in 1827. To this day, the light continues to serve as an active aid to navigation under the ownership and authority of the US Coast Guard. Due to an increase and refocus of Coast Guard responsibilities, the federal government began to sell some light stations, retaining ownership only of property that was deem critical for safe navigation. As a result, in 1940 the seven acre Pemaquid Point Light Station, with the exception of the tower and the small rectangle of land on which it sits and a narrow right of way from State Route 130, was purchased by the Town of Bristol. Since then, the town has complied with the government's express condition that the light station always be maintained as a public park for recreational and educational pursuits.