| Marblehead Light |
Marblehead, MA
Established 1835, tower built 1896
105 feet, light is 130 feet above the water.
Some have called this brown iron skeletal tower an ugly duckling among the graceful white lighthouses of our coast. But to many lighthouse fans, Marblehead Light is unique in our region and thus possesses its own charm.
Jeremy's Lighthouse Guide #8
The first lighthouse on Marblehead Neck was a short white brick tower, attached to the keeper's cottage by a covered walkway. The first keeper was Ezekiel Darling, a former gunner on "Old Ironsides," the U.S.S. Constitution. He was succeeded by Jane C. Martin, the only woman lighthouse keeper on the east coast at that time.
By 1880, the first Marblehead Light was obscured by large summer "cottages" and
could not be seen from the sea. A light at the top of a 100-foot mast sufficed
for a while, but in 1895 it was decided that a new lighthouse was in order. The
second Marblehead Light was first lighted on April 20, 1896. It is composed of
eight cast-iron pilings connected by supports and topped with a lantern room,
and is the only American lighthouse of its type east of Coney Island, New York.
The keeper's house was torn down in 1959. Marblehead Neck resident Chandler Hovey,
a well-known yachtsman, purchased the land around the lighthouse and in 1948 donated
it to the town. Today Chandler Hovey Park is almost always busy with visitors
watching sailboats, flying kites, watching the crashing surf or just enjoying
a sunset. The town's Rotary Club is active in the care of the tower, which is
still an aid to navigation.
READ much more about the HISTORY of this lighthouse
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.