Boston Light
From Cape Cod and the Islands to the North Shore, over 60 lighthouses dot the Massachusetts coast as an aid to maritime navigation. The nation’s first light station, Boston Light, was established in 1716 and the current lighthouse structure dates from 1783.
It should be noted that while Boston Light is the oldest light station, it is the second oldest lighthouse in the United States. What is the difference you may ask? A lighthouse is simply the light tower. A light station is the tower and all of its’ other buildings, which may include the keeper’s living quarters, a fuel house, a fog-signaling building, and other buildings.
Visiting and photographing lighthouses can be a very enjoyable travel past time. Many individuals make it a life-long passion to visit as many different lighthouses as possible.
Lighthouses of the Massachusetts Coast
Following is a list of those lighthouses:
- Bass River Light / West Dennis Light, Dennis, Massachusetts
- Boston Light, Boston, Massachusetts
- Brant Point Light, Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Cape Poge Lighthouse – Chappaquiddick Island, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
- Chatham Light, Chatham, Massachusetts
- East Chop Lighthouse – Oak Bluffs, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
- Edgartown Lighthouse / Edgartown Harbor Lighthouse – Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
- Gay Head Lighthouse – Aquinnah, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
- Great Point Light, Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Highland / Cape Cod Light – Truro, Massachusetts
- Lewis Bay Light, Hyannis Harbor, Massachusetts
- Long Point Light, Provincetown Harbor
- Monomoy Point Lighthouse, South Monomoy, Massachusetts
- Nauset Light, Eastham, MA
- Nobska Point Lighthouse, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
- Race Point Light, Provincetown, MA
- Sandy Neck Light, Barnstable, Massachusetts
- Sankaty Head Light, Nantucket, Massachusetts
- Stage Harbor (Harding’s Beach) Lighthouse, Chatham, MA
- Three Sisters Lighthouses, Eastham, Massachusetts
- West Chop Lighthouse – Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
- Wings Neck Lighthouse, Pocasset (Bourne), Massachusetts
- Wood End Light, Provincetown Harbor
Lighthouse Videso
Photo credits: The photo of Boston Light is by Dpbsmith and is from the Wikimedia Commons. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.
