Marblehead Light is situated on
Marblehead Neck in
Essex County, Massachusetts
Essex County is a County (United States), county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the total population was 809,829, making it the third-most populous county in the stat ...
. The current tower is a skeletal structure that replaced the original 1835 brick and wood tower in 1895. It is the only tower of its type in New England, the next similar tower is to be found at
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsular neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn, Manhattan Beach to its east, L ...
, New York. It was listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, on June 15, 1987 as number #87001479 under Lighthouses of Massachusetts Thematic Group.
[
The United States Coast Guard ]Light List
A list of lights is a publication describing lighthouses and other aids to maritime navigation. Most such lists are published by national hydrographic offices. Some nations, including the United Kingdom and the United States, publish lists that ...
description is "Square skeleton tower; brown to gallery; black above". The actual light is above Mean High Water
A chart datum is the water level surface serving as origin of depths displayed on a nautical chart. A chart datum is generally derived from some tidal phase, in which case it is also known as a tidal datum. Common chart datums are ''lowest ast ...
. Its fixed green light is visible for .
History
In August 1831, the townspeople of Marblehead requested that a lighthouse be built at the entrance to the harbor. Congress granted the wish and a 23-foot (7m) high tower was built in 1835 and commissioned on October 10, 1835. This tower had an array of ten whale oil
Whale oil is oil obtained from the blubber of whales. Whale oil from the bowhead whale was sometimes known as train oil, which comes from the Dutch word ''traan'' ("tears, tear" or "drop").
Sperm oil, a special kind of oil obtained from the ...
burning lamps inside an octagonal lantern.
In 1857, the old lamp system was replaced by a sixth order Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships."
The design allows the c ...
and reflectors. Despite the upgrade and work on the tower and associated keepers' house, the tower itself was in a poor condition and by 1893 a new light was requested. The new light was completed in 1895 at a cost of $8,786, the cost being much reduced by using a skeletal frame rather than rebuilding the old tower.
This new light consisted of eight cast iron piles on concrete foundations. The light was a sixth order Fresnel lens with a kerosene lamp. It was first illuminated on 17 April 1896 as a fixed white light. Later in 1922 it was changed to fixed red and then in 1938 to fixed green. In 1960, the light was automated and a new optic was installed.National Park Service
/ref>
About from the light are two bronze plaques located where the original light was, one listing the history of the light and the other listing keepers who looked after the light until it was taken over by the Coast Guard:
*1835–1860 Ezekiel Darling
*1860–1862 Jane C. Martin
*1862–1872 John Goodwin
*1872–1892 James S. Bailey
*1892–1893 Albert M. Horte
*1893–1928 Henry T. Drayton
*1928–1930 Russell B. Eastman
*1930–1938 Edwin C. Rogers
*1938–1941 Harry S. Marden
*1941–1947 – Light was controlled by the US Army
*1947–1954 Joseph Barry
See also
*
References
External links
Inventory of Historic Light Stations – National Park Service
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Lighthouses completed in 1835
Lighthouses completed in 1895
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Lighthouses in Essex County, Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, Massachusetts