This is a list of all lighthouses in the U.S. state of Massachusetts as identified by the United States Coast Guard. Enumeration of the lighthouses in this state is complicated by the number of multiple tower stations and replacement of older towers, with the Brant Point Light station having had nine towers, two of which survive.[1] At present there are forty-seven active towers, of which eleven are privately maintained; thirteen are standing but inactive, seven have been replaced with skeleton towers, thirteen have been destroyed or removed, and one tower has been moved to another state. The oldest station, Boston Light, established in 1716, was the first lighthouse built in the colonies, and the current tower at that station, built in 1783, is the oldest survivor in the state and the second oldest in the nation, and was the last lighthouse automated in the United States.[2] The last station established was at the Buzzards Bay Entrance Light in 1961 (since replaced by an automated light on a steel tripod), but in 1986 the 1818 Great Point Light was rebuilt and relit, making it the last tower constructed in the state. The tallest towers in the state are the two Cape Ann Light towers, but the highest focal plane is at the Hospital Point Range Rear Light, which is located in the steeple of the First Baptist Church of Beverly.[2]
A number of inactivated Massachusetts lights have met with unusual fates. The Three Sisters of Nauset were sold off to separate private buyers before being purchased by the National Park Service and moved back near their original site. Range lights in Nantucket and Hyannis were incorporated into private dwellings, the former housing the Gilbreth family of Cheaper by the Dozen fame. The Point Gammon Light was converted into an observation tower for birdwatching.
If not otherwise noted, focal height and coordinates are taken from the United States Coast Guard Light List,[3] while location and dates of activation, automation, and deactivation are taken from the United States Coast Guard Historical information site for lighthouses.[4] Lighthouses in the "Former" section only include structures that no longer exist.
Name | Image | Location | Coordinates | Year first lit | Automated | Status | Current Lens | Focal Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annisquam Harbor Light | Gloucester (Cape Ann) |
42°39′43″N 70°40′53″W / 42.6619°N 70.6815°W | 1898 | 1974 | Active | 190mm | 45 ft (14 m) | |
Bakers Island Light | Salem | 42°32′11″N 70°47′09″W / 42.5364°N 70.7859°W | 1821 | 1972 | Active | 190mm | 111 ft (34 m) | |
Bird Island Light | Marion (Buzzards Bay) |
41°40′10″N 70°43′03″W / 41.6694°N 70.7174°W | 1819 | 1997 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1933-1997) |
ML-300[5] | [6] | 47 ft (14 m)|
Borden Flats Light | Fall River (Taunton River) |
41°42′16″N 71°10′28″W / 41.7044°N 71.1744°W | 1881 | 1963 | Active | 250mm | 47 ft (14 m) | |
Boston Light | Boston (Little Brewster Island) |
42°19′41″N 70°53′24″W / 42.3280°N 70.8901°W | 1783 | 1998 | Active | Second-order Fresnel | 102 ft (31 m) | |
Brant Point Light (old) | Nantucket | 41°17′23″N 70°05′33″W / 41.2898°N 70.0924°W[7] | 1856 | Never | Inactive (Since 1900) |
None | [8] | 46 ft (14 m)|
Brant Point Light (new) | Nantucket | 41°17′24″N 70°05′25″W / 41.2900°N 70.0903°W | 1901 | 1965 | Active | Fifth-order Fresnel | 26 ft (7.9 m) | |
Butler Flats Light | New Bedford (Acushnet River) |
41°36′11″N 70°53′38″W / 41.603°N 70.894°W | 1898 | 1978 | Active | Fifth-order Fresnel | 25 ft (7.6 m) | |
Cape Ann Light Station (aka: Thacher Island Lights) |
Rockport (Thacher Island) |
42°38′12″N 70°34′30″W / 42.6368°N 70.5749°W | 1861 | 1979 (South Tower) 1989 (North Tower) |
Active[a] | VRB-25 | 166 ft (51 m) | |
Cape Poge Light | Edgartown (Chappaquiddick Island) |
41°25′10″N 70°27′08″W / 41.4194°N 70.4523°W | 1893[b] | 1943 | Active | 300mm | 65 ft (20 m) | |
Chatham Light | Chatham | 41°40′17″N 69°57′01″W / 41.6713°N 69.9502°W | 1877 | 1982 | Active | DCB-224 | 80 ft (24 m) | |
Clarks Point Light | New Bedford | 41°35′36″N 70°54′05″W / 41.5932°N 70.9014°W | 1869 | 2001 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1898-2001) |
250mm | [4] | 68 ft (21 m)|
Cleveland East Ledge Light | Falmouth | 41°37′52″N 70°41′39″W / 41.6310°N 70.6942°W | 1943 | 1978 | Active | 190mm | 74 ft (23 m) | |
Derby Wharf Light | Salem | 42°30′59″N 70°53′01″W / 42.5165°N 70.8835°W | 1871 | 1917[9] | Active (Inactive: 1977-1983) |
Optic | 25 ft (7.6 m) | |
Duxbury Pier Light | Duxbury (Plymouth Harbor) |
41°59′15″N 70°38′55″W / 41.9874°N 70.6485°W | 1871 | 1961 | Active | Fourth-order Fresnel | 35 ft (11 m) | |
East Chop Light | Oak Bluffs | 41°28′13″N 70°34′03″W / 41.4703°N 70.5675°W | 1878[b] | 1933 | Active | 300mm | 79 ft (24 m) | |
Eastern Point Light | Gloucester (Cape Ann) |
42°34′49″N 70°39′52″W / 42.5802°N 70.6644°W | 1890[b] | 1985 | Active | DCB-24 | 57 ft (17 m) | |
Edgartown Harbor Light | Edgartown | 41°23′27″N 70°30′11″W / 41.3909°N 70.5031°W | 1881[c] | 1939 | Active | 250mm | 45 ft (14 m) | |
Fort Pickering Light | Salem (Winter Island) |
42°31′35″N 70°51′59″W / 42.5264°N 70.8664°W | 1871 | 1983 | Active (Inactive: 1969-1983) |
Unknown | 28 ft (8.5 m) | |
Gay Head Light | Aquinnah | 41°20′54″N 70°50′06″W / 41.3484°N 70.8350°W | 1856[b] | 1956 | Active | DCB-224 | 170 ft (52 m) | |
Great Point Light | Nantucket | 41°23′25″N 70°02′54″W / 41.3902°N 70.0483°W | 1986 (Rebuilt) |
Always | Active | VRB-25 | 71 ft (22 m) | |
Highland Light | Truro (North Truro) |
41°23′27″N 70°30′11″W / 41.3909°N 70.5031°W | 1857[10] | 1987[10] | Active | LED | 170 ft (52 m) | |
Hospital Point Range Front Light | Beverly | 42°32′47″N 70°51′22″W / 42.5465°N 70.8560°W | 1872 | 1947 | Active | Third-order Fresnel | 70 ft (21 m) | |
Hospital Point Range Rear Light | Beverly | 42°32′54″N 70°52′43″W / 42.5483°N 70.8785°W | 1927 | Unknown | Active | Unknown | 183 ft (56 m) | |
Ipswich Rear Range Light | Ipswich | 42°41′07″N 70°45′58″W / 42.6853°N 70.7662°W | 1881[b] | Never | Removed (Tower Moved) |
None | [11] | 42 ft (13 m)|
Long Island Head Light | Boston (Long Island) |
42°19′49″N 70°57′28″W / 42.3302°N 70.9577°W | 1901[12] | 1929[12] | Active (Inactive: 1982-1985)[12] |
Acrylic | 120 ft (37 m) | |
Long Point Light | Provincetown (Long Point) |
42°01′59″N 70°10′07″W / 42.0331°N 70.1687°W | 1875 | 1952 | Active | 300mm | 36 ft (11 m) | |
Marblehead Light | Marblehead | 42°30′19″N 70°50′01″W / 42.5054°N 70.8337°W[13] | 1895 | 1960 | Active | 300mm | [13] | 130 ft (40 m)|
Mayo Beach Light | Wellfleet (Mayo Beach) |
41°55′51″N 70°02′03″W / 41.9307°N 70.0343°W[14] | 1881[b] | Never | Removed (Tower moved) |
None | Unknown | |
Minot's Ledge Light | Cohasset | 42°01′59″N 70°10′07″W / 42.0331°N 70.1687°W | 1860[b] | 1947 | Active | 300mm | 85 ft (26 m) | |
Monomoy Point Light | Chatham (Monomoy Island) |
41°33′32″N 69°59′38″W / 41.559°N 69.994°W[15] | 1849[b] | Never | Inactive (Since 1923) |
None | [15] | 47 ft (14 m)|
Nantucket Cliff Range Lights | Nantucket | 41°17′38″N 70°06′25″W / 41.294°N 70.107°W[16] | 1889[16][b] | Never | Inactive (Since 1912) |
None | Unknown | |
Nantucket Harbor Range Lights | Nantucket (Brant Point) |
41°17′23″N 70°05′32″W / 41.2898°N 70.0923°W (Front Light) 41°17′21″N 70°05′31″W / 41.2893°N 70.0919°W (Rear Light) |
1908 | Unknown | Active | Unknown | (Front Light) 51 ft (16 m) (Rear Light) | 35 ft (11 m)|
Nauset Beach Light | Eastham (Nauset Beach) |
41°51′36″N 69°57′11″W / 41.860°N 69.953°W | 1923[d] | 1955 | Active | DCB-224 | 120 ft (37 m) | |
Ned Point Light | Mattapoisett | 41°39′03″N 70°47′44″W / 41.6509°N 70.7956°W | 1838 | 1923 | Active (Inactive: 1951-1963) |
250mm | 41 ft (12 m) | |
Newburyport Harbor Front Range Light | Newburyport | 42°48′41″N 70°51′53″W / 42.8115°N 70.8648°W[17] | 1873 | 1952 | Inactive (Since 1961) |
None | [18] | 37 ft (11 m)|
Newburyport Harbor Light | Newburyport | 42°48′55″N 70°49′08″W / 42.8152°N 70.8189°W | 1898[b] | 1951 | Active | Fourth-order Fresnel | 50 ft (15 m) | |
Newburyport Harbor Rear Range Light | Newburyport | 42°48′42″N 70°51′58″W / 42.8116°N 70.8662°W[19] | 1873 | Unknown | Inactive (Since 1961) |
None | [18] | 58 ft (18 m)|
Nobska Light | Woods Hole | 41°30′57″N 70°39′18″W / 41.5158°N 70.6551°W | 1876[b] | 1985 | Active | Fourth-order Fresnel | 87 ft (27 m) | |
Old Scituate Light | Scituate (Scituate Harbor) |
42°12′17″N 70°42′57″W / 42.2048°N 70.7158°W | 1811 | 1994 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1860-1994) |
Replica lantern | [20] | 70 ft (21 m)|
Palmer Island Light | New Bedford | 41°37′37″N 70°54′33″W / 41.6270°N 70.9091°W | 1849 | 1941 | Active (Inactive: 1962-1998[21]) |
Fifth-order Fresnel | [21] | 34 ft (10 m)|
Plymouth Light | Plymouth | 42°00′13″N 70°36′02″W / 42.0037°N 70.6006°W | 1843[b] | 1986 | Active | 100mm | 102 ft (31 m) | |
Point Gammon Light | Hyannis | 41°36′35″N 70°15′58″W / 41.6097°N 70.2662°W[22] | 1816[23] | Never | Inactive[e] (Since 1858) |
None | [23] | 70 ft (21 m)|
Race Point Light | Provincetown | 42°03′44″N 70°14′35″W / 42.0623°N 70.2430°W | 1876 | 1972 | Active | VRB-25 | 41 ft (12 m) | |
Sandy Neck Light | Barnstable | 41°43′23″N 70°16′52″W / 41.723°N 70.281°W | 1857[b] | 2007 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1931-2007)[24] |
LED[5] | Unknown | |
Sankaty Head Light | Nantucket (Siasconset) |
41°17′04″N 69°57′58″W / 41.2844°N 69.9661°W | 1850 | 1965 | Active | DCB-224 | 158 ft (48 m) | |
Stage Harbor Light | Chatham | 41°39′31″N 69°59′01″W / 41.6587°N 69.9837°W[25] | 1880 | Never | Inactive (Since 1933) |
None | Unknown | |
Straitsmouth Island Light | Rockport | 42°39′44″N 70°35′17″W / 42.6623°N 70.5881°W | 1896[b] | 1967 | Active | 250mm | 46 ft (14 m) | |
Tarpaulin Cove Light | Gosnold (Naushon Island) |
41°28′08″N 70°45′27″W / 41.4688°N 70.7575°W | 1891[b] | 1941 | Active | 300mm | 78 ft (24 m) | |
Ten Pound Island Light | Gloucester | 42°36′07″N 70°39′56″W / 42.6019°N 70.6656°W | 1881 | 1934 | Active (Inactive: 1956-1989) |
250mm | 57 ft (17 m) | |
The Graves Light | Boston (The Graves) |
42°21′54″N 70°52′09″W / 42.3649°N 70.8691°W | 1905 | 1976 | Active | VRB-25 | 98 ft (30 m) | |
Three Sisters of Nauset | Eastham | 41°51′32″N 69°57′26″W / 41.859°N 69.9571°W[26] | 1892[b] | Never | Inactive (Since 1923) |
None | Unknown | |
West Chop Light | Tisbury | 41°28′51″N 70°35′59″W / 41.4808°N 70.5998°W | 1891[b] | 1976 | Active | Fourth-order Fresnel[5] | 84 ft (26 m) | |
West Dennis Light | West Dennis | 41°39′07″N 70°10′12″W / 41.652°N 70.170°W | 1855 | 1989 (Relit) |
Active (Inactive: 1914-1989) |
300mm | 44 ft (13 m) | |
Wing's Neck Light | Pocasset | 41°40′49″N 70°39′40″W / 41.6802°N 70.6612°W | 1889[b] | Never | Inactive (Since 1945) |
None | Unknown | |
Wood End Light | Provincetown (Long Point) |
42°01′17″N 70°11′37″W / 42.0213°N 70.1935°W | 1872[b] | 1960 | Active | VRB-25 | 45 ft (14 m) |
The United States Coast Guard lists these as active lighthouses.
Name | Image | Location | Coordinates | Year first lit | Status | Current Lens | Focal Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buzzards Bay Entrance Light | — | Buzzards Bay | 41°23′49″N 71°02′05″W / 41.3970°N 71.0347°W | 1997 | Active | Unknown | 67 ft (20 m) |
Ipswich Light | — | Ipswich | 42°41′07″N 70°45′58″W / 42.6853°N 70.7662°W | 1939 | Active | Unknown | [11] | 42 ft (13 m)
Name | Image | Location | Coordinates | Year first lit | Automated | Year deactivated | Light | Focal Height |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Annisquam Harbor Light | Gloucester (Cape Ann) |
42°39′43″N 70°40′53″W / 42.6619°N 70.6815°W | 1851 | Never | 1897 (Razed) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | 40 ft (12 m) | |
Bakers Island Light | Salem | 42°32′11″N 70°47′09″W / 42.5364°N 70.7859°W | 1815 | Never | 1926 (Razed) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | Unknown | |
Billingsgate Island Light | Wellfleet (Billingsgate Island) |
41°52′16″N 70°04′05″W / 41.871°N 70.068°W[27] | 1858 | Never | 1915 (Destroyed) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | 40 ft (12 m) | |
Bishop and Clerks Light | Hyannis | 41°34′27″N 70°15′00″W / 41.5743°N 70.2501°W | 1858 | 1923 | 1928 (Demolished in 1952) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | [4] | 59 ft (18 m)|
Boston Light | Boston (Little Brewster Island) |
42°19′41″N 70°53′24″W / 42.3280°N 70.8901°W | 1716 | Never | 1776 (Destroyed) |
Tallow candles | 75 ft (23 m) | |
Broad Sound Channel Inner Range Lights | Boston (Spectacle Island) |
42°19′40″N 70°59′03″W / 42.3278°N 70.9842°W[28] (Front Light) 42°19′39″N 70°59′07″W / 42.3275°N 70.9853°W[28] (Rear Light) |
1903[29] | Never | 1950[29] (Removed) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | [29] (Front) 70 ft (21 m)[29] (Rear) | 53 ft (16 m)|
Buzzards Bay Entrance Light | Buzzards Bay | 41°23′49″N 71°02′05″W / 41.3970°N 71.0347°W | 1961 | 1980 | 1997 (Dismantled) |
Unknown | [30] | 101 ft (31 m)|
Clarks Point Light | New Bedford | 41°35′36″N 70°54′05″W / 41.5932°N 70.9014°W | 1818 | Never | 1906 (Demolished) |
Unknown | [4] | 68 ft (21 m)|
Cuttyhunk Light | Gosnold (Cuttyhunk Island) |
41°24′50″N 70°57′00″W / 41.414°N 70.950°W | 1891 | Never | 1947 (Demolished) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | 63 ft (19 m) | |
Deer Island Light | Boston (Deer Island) |
42°20′24″N 70°57′16″W / 42.3399°N 70.9545°W | 1890 | 1960 | 1982 (Destroyed in 1984) |
Unknown | [31] | 53 ft (16 m)|
Dumpling Rocks Light | Buzzards Bay | 41°32′17″N 70°55′16″W / 41.538°N 70.921°W | 1829[f] | Never | 1938 (Destroyed) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | Unknown | |
Egg Rock Light | Egg Rock (Near Nahant) |
42°25′59″N 70°53′53″W / 42.433°N 70.898°W[32] | 1856[g] | 1918[33] | 1922 (Destroyed in 1927) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | [32] | 90 ft (27 m)|
Falmouth Inner Light | Falmouth | 41°32′32″N 70°36′30″W / 41.5421°N 70.6083°W | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 25 ft (7.6 m) | |
Fairhaven Bridge Light | Fairhaven | 41°38′21″N 70°55′03″W / 41.6392°N 70.9175°W | 1888 | Never | 1891 (Razed) |
Unknown | Unknown | |
Great Point Light | Nantucket | 41°23′25″N 70°02′54″W / 41.3902°N 70.0483°W | 1817 | 1955 | 1984 (Destroyed) |
Third-order Fresnel lens | 71 ft (22 m) | |
Hyannis Front Range Light | Hyannis | 41°38′02″N 70°17′20″W / 41.634°N 70.289°W | 1885 | Never | 1929 (Removed) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | [34] | 20 ft (6.1 m)|
Hyannis Rear Range Light | Hyannis | 41°38′10″N 70°17′19″W / 41.636°N 70.2885°W[35] | 1849 | Never | 1929 (Removed) |
Fifth-order Fresnel lens | [34] | 43 ft (13 m)|
Ipswich Front Range Light | Ipswich | 42°41′10″N 70°45′54″W / 42.686°N 70.765°W[11] | 1867 | Never | 1932 | Unknown | [11] | 25 ft (7.6 m)|
Long Island Head Light | Boston (Long Island) |
42°19′49″N 70°57′28″W / 42.3302°N 70.9577°W | 1844[12] | Never | 1881[12] (Replaced) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | 120 ft (37 m) | |
Long Point Light | Provincetown (Long Point) |
42°01′59″N 70°10′07″W / 42.0331°N 70.1687°W | 1827 | Never | 1873 (Replaced) |
Sixth-order Fresnel lens | 36 ft (11 m) | |
Lovells Island Range Lights | Boston (Lovells Island) |
42°19′58″N 70°55′49″W / 42.3328°N 70.9303°W[4] (Front Light) 42°19′55″N 70°55′52″W / 42.3319°N 70.9311°W[4] (Rear Light) |
1903 | Never | 1939 (Removed) |
None | [36] (Front Light) 40 ft (12 m)[36] (Rear Light) | 31 ft (9.4 m)|
Marblehead Light | Marblehead | 42°30′19″N 70°50′01″W / 42.5054°N 70.8337°W[13] | 1835 | Never | 1895 (Replaced) |
Sixth-order Fresnel lens | [13] | 130 ft (40 m)|
Nantucket Beacon | Nantucket | 41°16′23″N 70°04′23″W / 41.273°N 70.073°W[8] | [h] | c.1807Never | Unknown | Lanterns | [8] | 24 ft (7.3 m)|
Race Point Light | Provincetown | 42°03′44″N 70°14′35″W / 42.0623°N 70.2430°W | 1816 | Never | 1876 (Replaced) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | 25 ft (7.6 m) | |
Spectacle Island Range Lights | Boston (Spectacle Island) |
42°19′41″N 70°59′07″W / 42.3281°N 70.9853°W[28] (Front Light) 42°19′39″N 70°59′04″W / 42.3275°N 70.9844°W[28] (Rear Light) |
1897 | Never | 1913 | None | [28] (Front Light) 54 ft (16 m)[28] (Rear Light) | 29 ft (8.8 m)|
Ten Pound Island Light | Gloucester | 42°36′07″N 70°39′56″W / 42.6019°N 70.6656°W | 1821 | Never | 1881 (Replaced) |
57 ft (17 m) | ||
Twin Lights | Chatham | 41°40′17″N 69°57′01″W / 41.6713°N 69.9502°W | 1841 | Never | 1877 (Razed) |
Fourth-order Fresnel lens | 40 ft (12 m) |