LIGHTHOUSES OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD

There are five lighthouses on Martha’s Vineyard.  They look out over Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound, and over the entrance to Edgartown Harbor and Cape Poge.

The West Chop Lighthouse in Vineyard Haven was built in 1817, and in 1838 the wooden building was replaced by the present brick structure.  It was moved back from the edge of the 60-foot-high bluff in 1848 and again in 1891.  Vineyard Haven harbor has been recognized as a port of protection since 1645, and for 300 years it was one of the most important ports on the Atlantic coast.

The East Chop Lighthouse in Oak Bluffs stands on the site of one of the first telegraph signals set up in 1828. It signaled news about cargos of ships arriving at Nantucket.  In the mid 1800’s, Captain Silas Daggett built a privately owned lighthouse here.  In 1875 the U.S. government bought the lighthouse and its land for $6,000, and the present cast-iron structure was built on the cliff 79 feet above the sea.

These lighthouses were beacons in history as well as in navigation.  The Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound saw more ships sail through them than any other place in the world except the English Channel.  The opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, as well as local weather conditions, changed this course of history.

The original Edgartown Lighthouse was built in 1828 on a small man-made island in Edgartown harbor.  For the first year, the only way to get to the light was by boat until money was allocated by an Act of Congress to build a foot bridge.  Although the new light was placed on the original site, sand had filled in the area between the island and the mainland, and the current Edgartown Lighthouse stands on shore as you see it today.

The Gay Head Lighthouse has always been perilously close to the ever-eroding cliffs.  The red brick light was built in 1844 to replace a wooden tower authorized by President John Quincy Adams.  In 1856, the marvelous Fresnel lens with its 1,009 prisms was installed after having been proudly exhibited at the World’s Fair in Paris.  Today it is lighted every evening after dark through the year.

The Cape Poge Lighthouse, built in 1801, is by far the Island’s most remote.  The original lighthouse was made of wood and had a small caretaker’s cottage.  By 1838, the building was destroyed by the ravaging sea and rebuilt farther inland.  It lasted only 50 years before the sea again claimed it and it was rebuilt (with a change from reflector lamps to red and white revolving prisms).  In 1892, the sea again reclaimed the lighthouse, and it was rebuilt as a 33-foot tall tower that lasted only another 35 years.

The present white wooden structure was built in 1922.  It is 55 feet high with a light visible for 12 miles.  In 1985 it gained the distinction of being the first entire lighthouse to be moved by helicopter.  The lighthouse’s present site is 300 feet from the ever-hungry sea.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

All of the Island’s lighthouses, except the Cape Poge Lighthouse, are easily accessible by road.  The Trustees of Reservations (508-627-3599) offer tours of the Cape Pogue Lighthouse.

 

Sunset Tours, Weddings, and Special Events

The Gay Head, East Chop, and Edgartown Lighthouses are maintained by the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society under a 30-year lease with the U.S. Coast Guard.  Each light has a large, fenced-in park area that makes a perfect place to relax and enjoy the island’s view.

 The Gay Head and East Chop Lighthouses are open for sunset tours from late June through mid-September, from 1.5 hours before sunset to 0.5 hours after.  The Gay Head Lighthouse is open Friday to Sunday; the East Chop Lighthouse just on Sundays.  Musicians and vocalists often perform impromptu.  A $3.00 admission fee is requested for adults; children under 12 are admitted free.

The lighthouses are available for wedding ceremonies and other special events (call The Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society at 508-627-4441).  Tax-deductible donations to help save the lights may be designated as “lighthouse donations” and mailed to The Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society, P.O. Box 827, Edgartown, MA  02539.