LIGHTHOUSES, EDGE,
Beauty and history shine in tour of Bay State lighthouses
Every lighthouse has a story. Some are dramatic, others not, but they’re all worth exploring. So how about going on a Massachusetts lighthouse crawl? With time on our hands and a long late winter and early spring to fill, we’ve got time to research, choose a route and head out to take in the beauty and the history of our lighthouses.
See a few in one day, or plan a road trip to one at a time and spread out the fun. There are 60 lighthouses (47 of them active) along the Bay State’s 192 miles of coastline.
Not all are accessible.
Some are out at sea — distantly viewable from shore but close-up ready only for boaters. Some are tucked down narrow paths that make seeing them a challenge from land.
But a glorious amount of them are visitable. Even in the winter months and with COVID-19 shutdowns, a lighthouse crawl drive can include walking the property, seeing the lighthouse close up and, of course, photo ops.
Scituate Light
Scituate Light (100 Lighthouse Road, Scituate) was built in 1810 for $4,000. It was just two years later that
sisters Rebecca and Abigail Bates, daughters of the lighthouse keeper, spotted two British ships ready to attack. The story goes that they grabbed a fife and drum and played — hidden just below the breakwater — leaving the British to assume the American army lay in wait. (“An American Army of Two” by Janet Greeson is a great family-friendly book about it).
The lighthouse was no longer the main beacon of warning for ships after nearby Minot’s Light (visible from Minot Beach in North Scituate as well as along the Atlantic Avenue/Jerusalem Road coastline of Cohasset – a great loop to take on your lighthouse crawl) was put into service in 1860.
But Scituate residents understood the importance of the light, relighting it officially in 1994 (the first time in 134 years).
The lighthouse is located at the end of a lovely loop of roads at Sand Hills beach. There’s parking there so you can walk the seawall and the jetty and take in the wellmaintained building as well as a view of the harbor.
Highland Light
Of course the Cape and the Cape Cod National Seashore is dotted with lighthouses. Highland Light (27 Highland Light Road, North Truro) is a national treasure.
The oldest and tallest lighthouse on Cape Cod, it was built in 1797 and rebuilt in 1857.
It stands just back from a breathtaking 125-foot cliff overlooking the ocean (a view worthy of the visit itself ), and is still a functioning lighthouse, operated by the Coast Guard.
Tours are not available, but walking the grounds around the lighthouse offers views, a look at the historic buildings and, of course, that fresh ocean air.
To read about the history of the light, check out an 1864 essay from the Atlantic Monthly. The author? None other than Henry David Thoreau, who loved Cape Cod and explored it regularly.
Fun fact: This lighthouse was authorized by the nation’s first president, George Washington, who approved it to be, as it was for years, the most powerful lighthouse on the east coast.
Eastern Point Light
This sprawling lighthouse at the eastern tip of Gloucester
Harbor looks like a movie set. Perched on craggy rocks and looking out over the sea, it’s the quintessential New England shore scene.
The actual grounds of the lighthouse are not open to the public, but there are plenty of great viewing spots surrounding it.
This lighthouse was originally built in 1832. When the railroad first came to Gloucester in 1847, the region’s fishing industry boomed, and more ships needed guidance.
So it was rebuilt, expanding a year later, featuring then-modern “ruby light” that came from using French plated glass and lanterns for the warning lights.
There are other fun things to spot as well. First, listen for the sound of the nearby “whistling buoy” placed there in the 1800s. Back then, a locally prominent writer claimed the whistle impacted her nervous condition, so it was temporarily removed.
Look closely at the rocky cliff: You’ll spot what locals call “Mother Anne,” rocks that seem to naturally form a woman reclining, which is why the whistling buoy is now called “Mother Anne’s Cow.”