Rockport, MA
Est 1771; current lights built 1861
Towers 124 feet, lights 166 feet above sea
There are none like it left – twin parallel lights in a dramatic stance and both
in working order. Put these two on your "must-see" list of New England lighthouses.
Jeremy’s Lighthouse Guide #14
The tall, slender twin lighthouses on 50-acre Thacher Island are an indispensable
part of the Cape Ann seascape. Now designated a National Historic Landmark, the
island is also recognized as a significant historic site for the nation as a whole.
Two 45-foot lighthouses were built on Thacher Island in 1771. The first keeper,
Captain James Kirkwood, was branded a Tory. In 1775, minutemen arrived at Thacher
Island and removed Kirkwood, who managed to escape to Canada.
It was decided in the 1850s that new, taller towers and huge first order Fresnel
lenses were needed. Two 124-foot new towers were built in 1861. New Hampshire
granite was used instead of local Cape Ann granite, which didn’t please the locals.
Several children were born at Thacher Island over the years. One of them, Thatcher
Warren Kezer, was born in 1901. He later claimed that his father, Assistant Keeper
George Kezer, took so long trying to fetch the doctor to the island for his birth
that by the time they returned little Thatcher was waving to them from the boat
ramp.
In 1932 the north light was extinguished. Thacher Island had been the last twin
light station on the coast. In 1980 the south light and the fog signal were automated
and the Coast Guard moved off the island.
Concerned citizens of Cape Ann formed the Thacher Island Association and chose
a caretaker to live on the island. In 1989 the north light was restored and opened
to visitors, offering a panoramic view of the area. The north light has since
been relighted as a private aid to navigation, and its amber light once again
makes Thacher Island the only operating twin light station in the United States.
For more information on visiting the island (you can even stay overnight!) or
to join the Thacher Island Association.
