Newburyport, MA

Est 1788, present lighthouse 1898
35 ft; light is 50 feet above water

For New Hampshire Seacoast residents, this is the nearest lighthouse neighbor to the south. Newburyport Harbor Light has been a vital guide to the historic harbor of Newburyport for over two centuries, and it’s one of the few lighthouses in the region that is easy to reach by car.

Jeremy's Lighthouse Guide #11

The General Court of Massachusetts authorized the building of two small wooden lighthouses at the northern tip of Plum Island in 1787, and they were finished the following year. The towers were built on movable foundations so their positions could be changed easily as the sandbars at the mouth of the Merrimack River shifted.

A signal tower was also erected, used by the keeper to signal with flags that a pilot was needed or a vessel was in trouble. A cannon was placed at the station to help the keeper summon aid in an emergency.

In 1838 the lighthouses were replaced by a new pair of octagonal towers, again built on moveable foundations. For some years one of these towers was used in conjunction with a strange shack-like structure called a Bug Light. Finally, in 1898 the present wooden tower was erected. A new keeper’s house was also built in 1898, and it presently serves as housing for an official of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge.

An 1856 fourth order Fresnel lens still operates, showing an occulting green light. The lighthouse has been cared for in recent years by the volunteers of the Friends of Plum Island Light. On May 10, 2003, ownership of the lighthouse was turned over to the City of Newburyport, and the Friends now have a lease agreement with the city. Plum Island Light is easily reachable by car, and the lighthouse is sometimes open to the public on summer Sunday afternoons.

Click for more on Plum Island Lighthouse HISTORY

Copyright 2004 by Jeremy D'Entremont, New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.