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      • Race Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod Massachusetts
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      • Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Thacher Island Twin Lights, Massachusetts
      • Three Sisters of Nauset Lighthouses, Massachusetts
      • West Chop Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Wings Neck Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Winter Island Lighthouse
      • Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket MA
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      • Isles of Shoals Light, New Hampshire
      • Portsmouth Harbor Light, New Hampshire
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      • Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood, New Jersey
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      • Bodie Island Light, North Carolina
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Thacher Island Twin Lights, Massachusetts

One of the most historic light stations in the United States is located on a 50 acre rocky island off the coast of Cape Ann, Massachusetts. Ships had fished and traded in the waters off Gloucester and Rockport since the early 1600’s and the area’s economy was tied to the sea. Early on, shipping interests realized the importance of lighting the shore and aiding area navigation. This led to the establishment of the twin lighthouses built upon Thacher Island which have guided ships for over 200 years.
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The current light exhibited by the North Tower is a 15 watt 250mm yellow light.  The light serves as a Private Aid to Navigation.  The yellow light is meant to recreate the oil light of the original 1771 tower.
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The current light exhibited by the North Tower is a 15 watt 250mm yellow light. The light serves as a Private Aid to Navigation. The yellow light is meant to recreate the oil light of the original 1771 tower.

  • Thacher Island was named after a famous shipwreck which occurred in August 1635.  Anthony Thacher of Ipswich along with his wife, four children and 17 others were sailing aboard the ‘Watch and Wait’ on their way to Marblehead when a sudden storm struck.  Everyone on board was lost with the exception of Thacher and his wife who washed up on an island.  In 1637 in order to compensate Thacher for his loss the General Court of Massachusetts awarded him the island which bears his name.
  • By the mid-1700’s trade along the Massachusetts’s coastline was burgeoning.  The British had built nine lighthouses in the American colonies to aid shipping by 1771, the year a petition from the ship-owners of Cape Ann was delivered by John Hancock to the General Court.  The petition requested an aid to mark a dangerous shoal just offshore Cape Ann to reduce the number of shipwrecks in the area.
  • **Landing at Thacher Island** In April 1771 the colonial government passed the authorization of building two lighthouses upon Thacher Island.  The island was purchased from the descendants of Anthony Thacher for £500.  The costs of building the lighthouse station would be defrayed by dues imposed upon shipping.
  • **The North Tower* Two 45 foot towers were built of wood and stone.  They were placed 300 feet apart on a north-south axis so ships could fix their position by lining up the towers.  These were the last American lighthouses built under British rule.
  • **The oft washed-out boat ramp on Thacher Island** The original boathouse was constructed in 1843 and was rebuilt four times between 1853 and 1907.  The last time it was destroyed was in October 1991.
  • The cobblestone utility building was built in 1907 near the boathouse.  Originally it housed a hoisting engine, but now it is used for housing the transformer for the island's electricity supplied by underwater cable.
  • The lamps of the Thacher Island Twin Lights were first lit on the colonial holiday Forefathers Day, on December 21, 1771. Forefathers Day honored the Pilgrims who had founded the Massachusetts colony.
  • The first Head Keeper of the Thacher Island Light Station was James Kirkwood, a former sea captain.  Kirkwood and his two assistants tended the lighthouses until July 1775 when Minutemen arrived and evicted them from the island for being loyal to the King.  The towers remained dark throughout the Revolutionary War.
  • In 1784 the General Court appointed Peter Coffin of Gloucester to repair the lighthouse towers and put the keepers home in order in anticipation of their re-activation.
  • **Entryway into the North Tower** In August 1789 Congress passed its 9th Act assuming responsibility for all aids to navigation in the nation from the states.  Massachusetts ceded the Twin Lights to the federal government in 1790.
  • **North Tower stairway** Since the light station featured twin towers of identical height, Thacher Island was used to conduct several experiments in illumination over the years.  In 1810 Winslow Lewis, an unemployed sea captain, tested his patented Argand lamp with a parabolic reflector in one of the twin towers.  It proved to be brighter than the old style of lamps used and Lewis won a contract to outfit all U.S. lights with his lamps.
  • The current light exhibited by the North Tower is a 15 watt 250mm yellow light.  The light serves as a Private Aid to Navigation.  The yellow light is meant to recreate the oil light of the original 1771 tower.
  • **View of the South Tower and Keepers dwelling from the North Tower lantern room** The new Lewis lamps were installed in the lanterns of the Thacher Island Lighthouses in 1815.  Lewis also won a contract to build a new brick Keepers house near the South Tower for $1,400 in 1816.  This proved to be a wise investment as this house is still in use today, albeit with a number of modifications made over the years.
  • The 1816 brick dwelling is 2½ stories and has 2 kitchens, 2 parlors, an office, utility room and tool room on 1st floor.  The 2nd floor has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and the attic was converted in 1895 to have 4 more bedrooms.  A cistern was located in the cellar.
  • The Thacher Island Association (TIA) renovated the 1816 house during the 1980's and currently rents out rooms to help raise funds for the restoration and maintenance.
  • **The Thacher Island Bus Stop** In 1828 new iron lanterns were installed on each tower.  Winslow Lewis returned to Thacher Island once again in 1841 to repair the old towers and refit the lanterns.
  • A report prepared by the Light House Board in 1857 recommended the replacement of the old 45 foot towers.  Fresnel lenses had been placed in almost all U.S. towers during the 1850's.  They reasoned that it would be the perfect opportunity to build taller towers on Thacher Island which could house 1st Order Fresnel lenses.  Congress agreed and appropriated $81,417.60 towards the project in 1859.
  • **Prime Thacher Island real estate** The 10 foot lanterns are 16 sided and constructed of iron and bronze.  The 1st Order Fresnel lenses were purchased from France for $10,000 each.
  • **Entryway into the South Tower** Unfortunately, the North Tower's Fresnel lens was destroyed by vandals after the towers were automated in 1980.  The South Tower lens was removed and displayed at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut until June 2011.  The keepers shared with me that they hoped the TIA could negotiate the return of the lens to Thacher Island in the near future.
  • **South Tower stairway** The oil lamps of the new Thacher Island Twin Lights were first lit on October 1, 1861.
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