As maritime traffic increased in the area, Egg Rock’s first lighthouse was built in 1855-56 at a cost of $3,700. A lantern was installed atop a stone dwelling.

The first keeper was George B. Taylor of Nahant, who lived at the lighthouse with his wife and five children, along with chickens, goats, a tame crow, and a dog named Milo. Taylor’s wife and children were described as contented at their home on the rock.

One of the most famous of all lighthouse pets was Milo, the Taylors’ huge Newfoundland-St. Bernard mix. Local fishermen enjoyed playing a game with Milo. They would lash two or three good-sized cod to pieces of wood and set them adrift. The dog would retrieve the floating prizes, sometimes as far as a mile from the island, and bring them to the Taylors for dinner.

In foggy weather Milo also served as a kind of fog signal, barking at vessels as they approached Egg Rock. Taylor claimed his dog was as useful as the light. Milo was credited with the rescue of several children from drowning around the island. His fame spread across the Atlantic. An English artist known for portraying animals, Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, painted Milo’s portrait, depicting a small child nestled between the dog's enormous paws. The model for the child was Keeper Taylor's young son, Fred. The painting, titled Saved, became internationally famous.

After numerous repairs to the original building, the lighthouse was entirely rebuilt in 1897. The new lighthouse consisted of a square brick tower attached to a six-room wood-frame dwelling.

In early 1919, an automatic acetylene gas operated light was placed in the tower. Then, on April 17, 1922, a crew dismantled the lighting apparatus and the light was discontinued. The government sold the buildings at auction at the end of May for $160. The buyer planned to move the dwelling to the Hough’s Neck in Quincy, south of Boston. A crew was hired to move the structure onto a barge.

In October 1922, as the crew slowly moved the building, a cable snapped. The house slid down the rocks and hung precariously at the edge of the ocean. There were several workmen inside the dwelling at the time, but they managed to break windows and escape to safety. For some time, remains of the dwelling washed up on local beaches. The brick lighthouse tower stood until 1927 when it was destroyed.

To learn much more about this lighthouse’s history click here

Copyright 2006 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.