Annisquam Harbor Light

Annisquam Harbor Light
Location Wigwam Pt., Gloucester, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°39′42.781″N 70°40′53.44″W / 42.66188361°N 70.6815111°WCoordinates: 42°39′42.781″N 70°40′53.44″W / 42.66188361°N 70.6815111°W
Year first constructed 1897
Year first lit 1898
Automated 1974
Foundation Stone
Construction Brick
Tower shape Cylindrical
Markings / pattern White with black lantern
Focal height 45 feet (14 m)
Original lens 5th order Fresnel lens
Current lens 7.5 inches (190 mm)
Range W 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi), R 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)
Characteristic Fl W 7.5s with Red sector
Fog signal 19th century: Bell
1931: Horn, 2 every 60s
Admiralty number J0268
ARLHS number USA-015
USCG number

1-9615 [1] [2] [3]

Annisquam Harbor Light Station
Area 1.3 acres (0.53 ha)
Built 1801
Governing body U.S. Coast Guard
MPS Lighthouses of Massachusetts TR
NRHP Reference #

87001526

[4]
Added to NRHP June 15, 1987

Annisquam Harbor Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Wigwam Point in the Annisquam neighborhood of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

History

The first light station, a 40-foot (12 m) wooden tower, was established in 1801. The building fell into disrepair and, in 1851, was replaced by an octagonal wooden tower of the same height. The original lighthouse keeper's house was repaired and, with alterations, has remained to this day. In 1869, a covered walkway was built between the house and the tower.

In 1897, the current brick lighthouse was built on the same foundation as the previous two constructions. Some time after 1900, the covered walkway to the keeper's house was replaced by an uncovered wooden footbridge.

The second Annisquam Harbor Light which was replaced in 1897

In 1931, a foghorn was installed, but until 1949, it was used only from October 15 to May 15 to spare summer residents the noise.[5] The lighthouse was automatated in 1974. The fog signal was first removed by the Coast Guard, but after complaints by fishermen and local boaters, it was re-activated and eventually automated as well.

The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

The original wooden keeper's house from 1801 is still used as a housing for United States Coast Guard personnel who manage the site. In 2000, a major restoration of the tower was conducted by the Coast Guard.[3] In 2008, the building made an appearance, supposedly as a lighthouse in Maine, in the film remake The Women (starring Meg Ryan).

See also

References

  1. ↑ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 79.
  2. ↑ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rowlett, Russ (2009-12-14). "Lighthouses of the United States: Northern Massachusetts". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  5. ↑ Jeremy D'Entremont: Annisquam Light. New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. (retrieved 23 October 2008)