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West Chop Lighthouse, Massachusetts

The last lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard to be automated, the West Chop Lighthouse has guarded the entrance into Vineyard Haven Harbor since 1817.
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The new tower was left its natural brick red color until it was painted white in 1899.  An oil house was added to the station in 1895 to store the new kerosene illuminant.
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The new tower was left its natural brick red color until it was painted white in 1899. An oil house was added to the station in 1895 to store the new kerosene illuminant.

IMG_0302 West Chop Light

0302WestChopLight

  • Although Vineyard Haven (formerly known as Holmes Hole) was the busiest port on Martha’s Vineyard the first lighthouses in the area were built on Cape Poge in 1801 to guide shipping to Edgartown and at Tarpaulin Cove where the government decided to replace a privately maintained light.
  • Citizens of Holmes Hole petitioned their Congressman to have a lighthouse established to mark their busy harbor.  Congress appropriated $5,000 in March 1817 to erect a lighthouse to help shipping navigating through Vineyard Sound and entering Holmes Hole Harbor.
  • The harbor was protected by two long peninsulas on each side known as the ‘East Chop’ and ‘West Chop’.  Four acres at the end of the West Chop were purchased for $225 by the government for the lighthouse reservation.
  • A lighthouse tower 25 feet tall was erected of rubblestone and topped with an octagonal iron lantern.  It sat 60 feet above sea level.  Also built was a stone dwelling for the Keeper which measured 34 feet by 20 feet.  The station was completed in October 1817.
  • The first Keeper of the West Chop Light was Captain James West who was appointed at a yearly salary of $300.  He and his wife Charlotte moved into the tiny stone house with their 8 children and lit the lamp in November 1817.
  • In 1818 a boat and a slip were provided to the station by the government for $150.  Keeper West needed the boat for transportation and the rescue of people from stranded ships.
  • An inspection report in 1838 found the station in good order.  The report stated ‘I found this light in admirable order; reflectors bright, glass perfectly clean, lamps carefully trimmed, and everything justifying the high reputation it enjoys along the coast’.
  • Obviously Keeper West was doing a great job of maintaining the light.  The report went on to note that the sea was encroaching upon the tower.
  • An 1843 inspection found the erosion becoming a bigger issue.  The water was now within 37 feet of the lighthouse.  The tower and dwelling were also found to be cracked and leaky, the woodwork was rotting.
  • In 1846 it was decided to rebuild the lighthouse and dwelling 975 feet from the original location.  The original Keepers house was given to James West’s son who had it moved to West Tisbury.  The new lighthouse was a round stone tower and the dwelling was a stone Cape Cod style home.
  • In 1847 Keeper West complained that the new tower and dwelling were both leaky, damp and cold.  In response, the tower was sheathed in a wood shell which was shingled and gave the lighthouse an octagonal appearance.  Keeper West retired later in 1847 after 30 years at West Chop and was replaced by Charles West, no relation to the original Keeper.
  • In 1857 the lamps and reflectors in the lantern were replaced by a 4th Order Fresnel lens.
  • In 1881 an engine house was constructed to house a steam whistle at the station.  A new assistant Keeper was appointed due to the additional duties of maintaining the fog signal.
  • A 1½ wooden frame dwelling was built and occupied by the Keeper while the new Assistant moved into the old stone dwelling.  In 1888 the old stone house was torn down and a new frame dwelling was built upon its foundation.
  • By the 1890’s the area had become quite populated and many summer cottages were constructed.  Some of the homes blocked the lighthouse, so a 17 foot iron mast was erected on the lantern deck with a lens lantern placed on top in January 1891.  Later in the year a new 45 foot brick cylindrical tower was built, this is the current lighthouse at the station.
  • The new tower was left its natural brick red color until it was painted white in 1899.  An oil house was added to the station in 1895 to store the new kerosene illuminant.
  • A metal garage was added to station in 1925.  This was replaced by a clapboard garage in 1966, the last structure to be added to the property.
  • In 1946 Keeper Octave Ponsart was assigned to the West Chop Lighthouse.  He had previously served at the Dumpling Rock and Cuttyhunk Island Lighthouses.
  • While at West Chop Keeper Ponsart also had the duty of maintaining the lighthouses at Cape Poge, Edgartown and East Chop.
  • His daughter Seamond Ponsart wrote a book about her experiences growing up at the lighthouse entitled ‘Everyday Heroes: The True Story of a Lighthouse Family’.  The book is a great read!
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