Please note that this text-only version, provided for ease of printing and reading, includes more than 100 pages and may take up to 15 minutes to print. By clicking on one of these links, you may go directly to a particular text-only section:

Introduction
Essay on Lighthouse & Lifesaving Stations
Essay on U.S. Navy
Essay on Ships & Shipbuilding
Essay on Maritime Commerce
List of Sites
Maps ( must be printed separately )
Begin Tour
Learn More
Credits

Introduction

The earliest human inhabitants began living in what is now Massachusetts around 10,000 BC. Algonquian-speaking groups of American Indians occupied the area for centuries prior to European exploration in the late 15th century. European colonization began in earnest during the early 1600s, followed by the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620 and the Puritans in 1628. Colonists, like the indigenous peoples before them, lived by hunting, farming and catching fish and shellfish. Shipbuilding and maritime commerce soon became staple economic activities for the colonists, as well. While the first battles of the American Revolution took place outside of Boston in 1775, the only other battle of the Revolution that took place in Massachusetts occurred in September 1778, when the British burned New Bedford, a port from which American ships attacked British vessels. After America established independence from British rule, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts entered the Union as the sixth state on February 6, 1788, with a population of nearly 378,000. Today, according to the most recent census report in 2004, 6,416,505 people call Massachusetts home. While maritime industries remain a vital part of the economy, tourism has also become an important source of income with millions of travelers visiting Massachusetts each year. With its beautiful beaches, small town charm and bustling cities, Massachusetts offers something for everyone.

Maritime History of Massachusetts offers several ways to discover the places that reflect the maritime history of this New England state. Each highlighted place features a brief description of its historic significance, color photographs and public accessibility information. At the bottom of each page are links to four essays: Lighthouse & Lifesaving Stations, Ships & Shipbuilding, the U.S. Navy and Maritime Commerce. These essays provide historic background, or "contexts," for the places included in the itinerary. In the Learn More section, the itinerary links to regional and local websites that provide visitors with further information regarding cultural events, special activities, and lodging and dining possibilities. Visitors may be interested in Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, located in Massachusetts. The itinerary can be viewed online, or printed if you plan to visit the Massachusetts coast in person.

Maritime History of Massachusetts is part of the Department of the Interior's strategy to promote public awareness of history and encourage visits to historic places throughout the Nation. The National Register of Historic Places partners with communities, regions and heritage areas throughout the United States to create online travel itineraries. Using places nominated by State, Federal and Tribal Historic Preservation Offices and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the itineraries help potential visitors plan trips by highlighting the amazing diversity of this country's historic places and providing public accessibility information for each featured site. Maritime History of Massachusetts is the 42nd National Register travel itinerary in this ongoing series. Itineraries for other maritime-related destinations include Early History of the California Coast, Florida Shipwrecks, Along the Georgia-Florida Coast, Ohio and Erie Canal National Heritage Cooridor and World War II in the San Francisco Bay Area. The National Register of Historic Places and Maritime Heritage Program hope you enjoy this virtual tour. If you have any comments or questions, please just click on the provided e-mail address, "comments or questions" located at the bottom of each page.

Lighthouse & Lifesaving Stations

During the colonial years, each of the 13 colonies established lighthouses and other navigational aids according to their individual needs. In 1716, the first lighthouse constructed in the colonies was Boston Light on Little Brewster Island. Highly profitable trade with the French West Indies and other foreign ports largely determined the placement of the earliest Massachusetts lighthouses. New England fish, salt, lumber and meat were traded for West Indian sugar and molasses, which was shipped to Massachusetts and distilled into rum. Merchants sent the rum to Africa in exchange for slaves, who were then sold to West Indian sugar plantations. As maritime travel and trade increased and diversified, the need for more beacons in Massachusetts was realized and additional lighthouses were established, such as at Brant Point Light on Nantucket in 1746, Plymouth Light on Gurnet Point in 1768, Cape Ann Twin Lights on Thacher Island in 1771 and Newburyport Harbor Light on Plum Island in 1788.

The newly formed Federal government understood that a more coordinated system of lighthouses was necessary to ensure the safety of crews and cargo, and maintain a large-scale maritime economy. Congress placed the responsibility for lighthouses, as well as all other aids to navigation, under the Federal government in 1789. Several lighthouses were established on the coast of Massachusetts and on nearby islands around this time. Unfortunately, economy of operation ruled over efficiency which resulted in the lighthouses of the United States being considered as some of the poorest quality in the world. Many of the early lighthouses built by the Federal government, such as Straitsmouth Light, Race Point Light and Gay Head Light were eventually replaced with new and improved structures. Other lighthouses, including Derby Wharf Light, Scituate Light and Sankaty Light have been repaired throughout the years but remain standing. Straitsmouth Light, Race Point Light, Gay Head Light, Derby Wharf Light and Scituate Light are active Federal aids to navigation today. Although Sankaty Light received one of the first Fresnel lenses in the United States and was considered one of the most important coastal lighthouses in the United States, it was decommissioned in 1860 following the construction of the second Minot's Ledge Light, which more adequately marked the area than did Sankaty Light. Sankaty was again illuminated in 1994 as a private aid to navigation.

After receiving numerous complaints about the Nation's system of lighthouses, the Federal government gathered a group of distinguished military officers and civilian scientists to conduct a large-scale investigation of existing lighthouses in 1851. The investigation determined that many light stations were in poor condition and therefore unable to meet mariners' needs. In 1852, the Federal government formed the Lighthouse Board, comprised of the individuals who conducted the earlier investigation, to take over all duties related to lighthouses and to improve upon them by using better building materials, new construction methods and advancements in lighting technology. Some of the lighthouses constructed or reconstructed in Massachusetts under the direction of the Lighthouse Board include the Cape Ann Twin Lights, Marblehead Light, Minot's Ledge Light, Highland (Cape Cod) Light, Brant Point Light and Cape Poge Light. These lighthouses continue to serve as Federal and private aids to navigation today.

At the same time the colonies were realizing a need for navigational aids, the citizens of Massachusetts were also concerned about the incidents of shipwreck and loss of life along the coast. Although a coordinated system of lighthouses and lightships helped many mariners avoid treacherous shoals and sand bars, the inevitable shipwreck occurred as the fog and New England weather forced ships aground with repeated loss of life. Based on the British model, prominent Massachusetts citizens founded an organization called the "Massachusetts Humane Society" in 1785, which would become the basis for the American system of rescue from shipwreck. The organization established huts along the shore to provide shelter for mariners in need and subsequently built lifeboat stations manned by volunteers.

By the 1870s, the Massachusetts system of lifeboat stations had grown to more than 70 stations, but just as with the lighthouses, a more efficient system was needed as maritime trade expanded. Finally in 1871, Congress appropriated funds to create a coordinated system of lifesaving called the U.S. Life-Saving Service. Point Allerton Life-Saving Station and Old Harbor Life-Saving Station provide two excellent examples of lifesaving stations established by the U.S. Life-Saving Service. In 1915, the U.S. Life-Saving Service merged with the Revenue Cutter Service, the precursor to the U.S. Coast Guard, and lifesaving remains an important duty of the U.S. Coast Guard today.

In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard subsumed all duties related to lighthouses and other navigational aids. One of the U.S. Coast Guard's first actions related to lighthouses in Massachusetts was the demolition of Edgartown Harbor Light on Martha's Vineyard. It was replaced with an existing tower transported from Crane's Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Cleveland Ledge Light was the last commissioned lighthouse in New England and the only one built by the U.S. Coast Guard in the region. The U.S. Coast Guard currently maintains most of the functioning lighthouses in Massachusetts, the majority of which have been automated, unmanned and converted to solar power in recent years.

U.S. Navy

In a letter read to Congress on October 13, 1775, General Washington notified them of his actions and urged them to form a navy. Congress voted to properly equip sailing vessels in order to prevent enemy vessels from bringing supplies to the British Army in America. In addition, Congress established a naval committee responsible for purchasing, outfitting, manning and operating the first ships of the new navy. The committee also drafted subsequent naval legislation and prepared rules and regulations to govern the organization. The first American squadron was launched on February 18, 1776. The size of the Continental navy peaked in 1777 with a total of 31 ships. In 1779, an American naval squadron under the command of John Paul Jones took the fight to Great Britain. In a celebrated battle, Jones at the helm of the Bon Homme Richard engaged and defeated the British warship H.M.S. Serapis off the English coast. During the battle when asked by the British captain if he were prepared to surrender, Jones replied with the immortal words, "I have not yet begun to fight." In 1783, the signing of the Treaty of Paris provided the United States with independence from Britain, however, freedom at sea was yet to be accomplished. Congress disbanded the Continental navy at the end of the Revolutionary War and the United States functioned without a navy until 1794.

Without armed ships or the protection of Great Britain, North African pirates frequently victimized American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea during this time. In order to safely explore new markets in which to conduct trade, Congress reestablished a national navy authorizing the construction of six new vessels on March 27, 1794. The congressional act stipulated that construction would cease if peace with Algiers was achieved. An agreement was reached early in 1796, prior to the ships' completion, yet Congress approved the finishing of three frigates. The USS United States, the USS Constellation and the USS Constitution were launched in 1797.

As tensions with France prompted greater public support for a strong navy, officials from the Department of War, the Department of Treasury and Congress pressed for the creation of a separate naval department solely responsible for naval affairs. On April 30, 1798, President John Adams signed a congressional act establishing the Department of the Navy. By the end of 1798, the navy owned 14 completed vessels and had more under construction. Naval shipyards, such as Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Washington Navy Yard, Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown Navy Yard) and New York Navy Yard, sprung up around the turn of the century along important rivers and on the coastlines of major American cities to support increased ship production and to prepare existing ships for combat.

Following the American Revolution, the British refused to withdraw from American territory along the Great Lakes and continued attacking American merchant ships, which led to the onset of the War of 1812. The U.S. Navy had 17 ships at this time, compared to the 600 ships of the British fleet. The USS Constitution, constructed at Edmund Hartt's shipyard in Boston, participated in a battle with the British vessel Guerriere on August 19, 1812, and emerged victorious after approximately one-half hour. In December 1812, the Constitution defeated the British warship H.M.S. Java in a noted battle off the coast of Brazil. Though unable to prevent British assaults on Washington, Baltimore and New Orleans, the U.S. Navy was more successful on the Great Lakes. The United States secured control of Lake Erie and then defeated the British on Lake Champlain, which led to the war's conclusion with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814. After achieving such success during the War of 1812, Congress encouraged the expansion of the naval fleet and bestowed upon the U.S. Navy responsibility for protecting burgeoning overseas commerce. Officials also constructed naval hospitals in or near key cities to better serve the growing navy. The Boston Naval Hospital opened in 1836 as one of the first three hospitals authorized specifically for naval personnel.

Recognizing the need for formal training of naval officers, in 1845, Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft founded the "Naval School" at Annapolis, Maryland. In 1850, it became known as the U.S. Naval Academy. John Paul Jones, the "father of the American navy," is buried in the Naval Academy's chapel. Following the start of the Civil War in 1861, few expected naval warfare to constitute an important part of the national conflict. The Union navy possessed 42 ships, most of which were deployed at sea at the start of the war, and the Confederates initially had no navy. The North immediately organized a blockade to stop all traffic and communications to the South and began an emergency shipbuilding program. The South acquired ships from Britain, captured Union vessels and began a shipbuilding program of their own. When the Civil War ended in a Union victory in 1865, the United States possessed a total of 671 ships making it the largest navy in the world.

Following the war, Congressional funding for new ship construction ceased until the early 1890s, when three new battleships were commissioned allowing the U.S. Navy to compete on equal footing with European naval powers. While floating in Havana Harbor in 1898 to protect American citizens in Cuba, one of the new battleships, the USS Maine, mysteriously blew up killing all 250 crew members and spawning the Spanish-American War. The subsequent American victory resulted in Spain ceding Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines to the United States, gave the United States guardianship over Cuba, and generally established the United States as a world power. In order to protect this new empire, the U.S. Navy worked to modernize its fleet by building submarines, destroyers, airplanes and more battleships. The new and improved fleet was tested in 1917 when the United States entered World War I. Following an Allied victory in 1918, arms-limitation treaties such as the Washington Treaty and the Five-Power Treaty forced the United States to reduce both the number and the size of its ships.

The importance of aviation increased in naval operations during the post-World War I era. The Navy developed aircraft carriers, radar technology and better weaponry for protection from air attacks. The United States entered World War II in 1941 after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Many naval vessels included in this Maritime History of Massachusetts travel itinerary and exhibited in Massachusetts today were built during World War II and actively participated in combat, such as the USS Massachusetts, the USS Lionfish and the USS Cassin Young. PT Boat 617 and PT Boat 796 were both built towards the end of the war, yet neither served in the naval fleet until after Japan surrendered aboard the battleship Missouri on September 2, 1945, concluding World War II. The Gearing-class destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. built at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, was commissioned on December 15, 1945, and played a significant role in the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Blockade and America's space program.

Ships & Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is one of the oldest industries in the United States with roots in the earliest colonial settlements. Shipbuilding quickly became a successful and profitable industry in Massachusetts, with its miles of coastline featuring protected harbors and bays, and extensive supplies of raw materials. The early wooden vessels built for commercial fishing and foreign trade also gave rise to a variety of ancillary trades and industries in the area, including sail making, chandleries, rope walks and marine railways. Shipyards in Essex and Suffolk counties are credited with the invention of the traditional American dory and built those that comprised the renowned Gloucester fishing fleet, helped free the colonies from British rule, strengthened the merchant and naval fleets that made the United States a world power and played pivotal roles in World War I and World War II. Many vessels included in this itinerary were either constructed in Massachusetts or are representative of the types of vessels built and repaired in Massachusetts shipyards.

Early settlements, combined with the abundance of oak forests and nearby newly established sawmills on Cape Ann, played a major role in the emergence of the shipbuilding industry on the Essex and Merrimack Rivers and in areas along the northern Massachusetts coastline during the mid-17th century. A shipbuilding boom in the area commenced around 1710. In the beginning, people built their own boats for fishing and transportation. By the late 18th century, experienced shipbuilders began building a new vessel each winter, fishing it during the summer, and selling the vessel during the fall. Captains traveled from other ports to the town of Essex and contracted for a new vessel because the Essex shipbuilders possessed unsurpassed skill and craftsmanship. Much of the skills required of shipwrights or shipbuilders were obtained through on-the-job-training, and many of the earliest shipyards and boat shops operated as family businesses passed down from generation to generation. Lowell's Boat Shop in Amesbury, Massachusetts, for example, was originally constructed in 1793, run by several generations of the Lowell family, and is the oldest, continually operating boat shop in the United States.

By the early 1840s, Essex no longer had its own fishing fleet, but had turned to year-round shipbuilding fostering a symbiotic relationship with the successful fishermen in Gloucester. In other words, when Gloucester had successful fishing runs and needed more boats, Essex prospered by supplying the boats. By 1845, shipbuilding in Essex was firmly established. The town became widely recognized as North America's leading producer of the popular "schooners," which enabled fishermen to sail far offshore and withstand rough seas. These large wooden vessels featured two masts carrying two principal sails supported by booms and gaffs and had one or more triangular head sails rigged to a bowsprit. By the 1850s, 15 Essex shipyards launched more than 50 vessels a year, most of which were built for the Gloucester fleet. A typical Essex shipyard consisted of a plot of land near the water with a few shipways, a shop for yard tools and enough space to store timber. Few shipyards had an on-site office and business was often conducted at the builder's home. Of the 4,000 vessels built in Essex during its 350-year shipbuilding history, only 5 of the fishing schooners exist today. The Schooner Ernestina and the Schooner Adventure remain in Massachusetts.

Unlike the Essex shipyards that largely produced fishing vessels, other Massachusetts shipyards constructed vessels that played an important role in the birth, growth and continued effectiveness of the U.S. Navy. The Boston Naval Yard built more than 200 warships, and maintained and repaired thousands of others from 1800 to 1974. Upon closing after 174 years of service, 30 acres of the navy yard became part of Boston National Historical Park administered by the National Park Service. The frigate USS Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides," which is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Cassin Young are displayed there as representatives of the vessels built and repaired at the shipyard. From humble beginnings in 1884, the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts quickly grew to become the second largest shipyard in the country and remained a leader in the shipbuilding industry for a century. The Bethlehem Steel Company owned the shipyard from 1925 to 1963, during which time it produced the South Dakota-class battleship USS Massachusetts and the Gearing-class destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Both vessels are now displayed at Battleship Cove, the world's largest naval ship exhibit, located in Fall River, Massachusetts. Also exhibited at Battleship Cove are the USS Lionfish, PT Boat 796 and PT Boat 617, which represent the types of submarines and Patrol Torpedo boats constructed for use during World War II.

Other types of boats, including tugboats and lightships, operated in the harbors and off the coast of Massachusetts. Although designed by a Boston naval architect and commissioned for the Boston Tow Boat Company, the Luna was built in Maryland in 1930. The Luna was one of the last wooden-hulled tugboats constructed, during an era when it had become cheaper and quicker to build vessels out of steel. The U.S. Navy employed the Luna during World War II to tend ships at Boston Naval Yard, and perform launch and rescue duties. Berthed in South Boston, the Luna is the last full-size, wood-hulled tug in existence. Lightship No. 114 was also built in 1930 and served at several dangerous offshore locations before being stationed at Pollock Rip off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, from 1958 to 1969. In 1975, Lightship No. 114 was brought to New Bedford, Massachusetts, and renamed. Unfortunately, in June 2006, a leak caused the vessel to roll on its side. Lightship No. 114 has since been righted but its fate is unknown.

Maritime Commerce

Fishing by itself would have brought little wealth to Massachusetts had its inhabitants depended on outside interests to supply vessels. In 1631, skilled craftsmen started building their own vessels for fishing and conducting commercial trade. By 1660, shipbuilding had become a leading industry in the towns of Newburyport, Ipswich, Gloucester, Salem and Boston. A wealthy class of merchants developed about the same time, supported by the steady growth of Massachusetts shipping. Colonial merchants were more than shopkeepers or commission dealers. They bought and sold, at home and abroad, on their own account and often handled 'private adventures' on the side. They owned or chartered vessels that carried desired goods. At busy ports, these entrepreneurs and businessmen built wharves, which provided a safe place for their crew to unload goods destined for local markets or to load cargo onto ships bound for distant ports. In addition, they constructed stores, warehouses and fashionable homes, leaving their mark on the present-day landscape.

Among those who made their fortune in maritime trade was Richard Derby, who began his career as the captain of a fishing vessel and exported codfish from Salem in the first half of the 18th century. After much success at sea, he bought his own fleet and led a new class of merchants to the top of society. The Derby House and the Derby Wharf stand today as part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. Samuel Bates, a prominent merchant in Cohasset and the first owner of Bates Wharf, its buildings and a fleet of schooners, used his earnings to construct the Bates Ship Chandlery in the mid-18th century. Restored and moved next to the Captain John Wilson House in 1957, both buildings currently serve as museums dedicated to Cohasset's long history as a maritime community.

While wealthy merchants were important to the economic development of Massachusetts and the entire United States, it was the middle class—captains and mates of vessels, shipbuilders, ropemakers, sailmakers and mechanics of many different trades—who were the backbone of maritime Massachusetts. Several historic districts along the Massachusetts coastline, such as the Fish Flake Hill Historic District, the East Gloucester Square Historic District and the Old Shipbuilder's Historic District, provide insight into the lives of middle-class individuals engaged in maritime-related occupations. Many of the existing residential buildings in these historic districts are modest, wood-framed dwellings set closely together near the waterfront.

In addition to fishing, shipbuilding and merchant endeavors, the whaling industry flourished throughout Massachusetts from the late 17th century to the mid-19th century. Glimpses of this major maritime enterprise can be seen in the historic districts of Nantucket, New Bedford, Edgartown Village and Wellfleet Center. The success of the whaling captains, candlemakers and others involved in the whaling industry is visible in the residences, commercial buildings and churches built during the heyday of whaling. Edward Penniman, one of the most successful whaling captains in New England, built his Second Empire style house on Cape Cod in 1868. Its grandeur expresses his affluence and maritime success. In the case of the Nantucket Historic District, the Edgartown Village Historic District and the Wellfleet Center Historic District, the demise of the whaling industry is also evidenced. With the depletion of the whale population and the introduction of petroleum as an illuminant superior to whale oil, the focus of these areas shifted from whaling to the summer tourism industry still thriving today. Summer cottages and resort communities sprang up in the mid-19th century, which helped to restore the weakened economy.

With the development of maritime commerce came the opportunity to regulate and tax, first by England and later by the Federal government under the Constitution. Prior to the American Revolution, Britain established a resident American Board of Customs in Boston based on the English Board of Trade and enacted harsh, new regulations on imports and exports in the colonies. This was not the first time that such taxes were inflicted on the colonists, who soon showed their discontent by burning local customhouses and houses of customs officers, and tarring and feathering customs officers. After gaining independence from Britain following the Revolutionary War and ratifying the Constitution, American politicians sought to raise national revenue by means of import duties. However, the question remained as to how such a collection would take place. In July 1789, Congress established the U.S. Customs Service, which designated geographic boundaries or customs districts within each of the first 11 states. Massachusetts had the most with 20 districts, and by 1799 two more were added. The law also authorized the appointment of Federal customs officers and defined their duties, and specified how goods were to be appraised and duties assessed on the appraisal values. For more than 100 years, the duties collected by the U.S. Customs Service were the Nation's primary source of income and were responsible for the country's early growth and infrastructure.

The preeminent building type associated with the U.S. Customs Service is the customhouse. Responsibility for the design and construction of customhouses fell to the Treasury Department. Five prominent examples of customhouses are included in this travel itinerary. Constructed in 1819, the customhouse in Salem was the focus of the busy waterfront area and remained in use until it was incorporated into the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in 1938. The Salem Customhouse employed American writer Nathanial Hawthorne as a surveyor from 1846 to 1849. Hawthorne immortalized the customhouse in the forward to his novel The Scarlet Letter. Famous American architect Robert Mills designed the U.S. Customhouse in Newburyport in 1835, which is located within the Market Square Historic District, as well as the U.S. Custom House in New Bedford in 1836. Ammi Burnham Young designed the prominent customhouse in downtown Boston between 1834 and 1847, which is now included in the Custom House District. He also designed the U.S. Customshouse in Barnstable which was completed in 1855, as well as a number of other customhouses during his tenure as Supervising Architect of the Treasury.

List of Sites
(north to south along the coastline)

Essex County Lowell's Boat Shop Market Square Historic District U.S. Customhouse (Newburyport) Newburyport Harbor Front Range Light and Newburyport Harbor Rear Range Light Newburyport Harbor Light Annisquam Harbor Light Station Straitsmouth Island Light Twin Lights Historic District--Cape Ann Light Station Gloucester Net and Twine Company Our Lady of Good Voyage Church East Gloucester Square Historic District Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial Adventure Ten Pound Island Light Eastern Point Light Station Hospital Point Light Station Fish Flake Hill Historic District Salem Maritime National Historic Site Derby Waterfront District Derby Wharf Light Station Nathaniel Bowditch House Marblehead Light   Suffolk County Naval Hospital Boston Historic District (Chelsea Naval Hospital) Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown Navy Yard) USS Constitution USS Cassin Young Luna (tugboat) Union Oyster House Union Wharf Long Wharf and Custom House Block Custom House District Russia Wharf Buildings Mariner's House Long Island Head Light Nix's Mate Daybeacon Boston Light   Norfolk County Captain John Wilson House and Bates Ship Chandlery   Plymouth County Graves Light Station Point Allerton Lifesaving Station Minot's Ledge Light Scituate Light Old Shipbuilder's Historic District Bradford Family Houses in Duxbury Plymouth Light Station Bradford-Union Street Historic District Ned Point Light Bird Island Light

Barnstable County Cleveland Ledge Light Station Wing's Neck Light U.S. Customshouse (Barnstable) Chatham Light Station Old Harbor U.S. Life Saving Station Monomoy Point Lighthouse Edward Penniman House Coast Guard Motor Lifeboat CG 36500 Three Sisters of Nauset (Twin Lights) Nauset Beach Light Wellfleet Center Historic District Highland Light Station Long Point Light Station Wood End Light Lookout Station Race Point Light Station Nobska Point Light Station   Dukes County Tarpaulin Cove Light Gay Head Light West Chop Light Station East Chop (Telegraph Hill) Light Edgartown Village Historic District Edgartown Harbor Light Cape Poge Light   Nantucket County Nantucket Historic District Brant Point Light Station Sankaty Head Light   Bristol County New Bedford Historic District New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park U.S. Custom House (New Bedford) Merrill's Wharf Historic District Lightship No. 114 Ernestina Palmer Island Light Station Butler Flats Light Station Borden Flats Light Station PT 796 PT 617 USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. USS Lionfish USS Massachusetts Dighton Wharves Historic District Coram Shipyard Historic District

Lowell’s Boat Shop

The original boat shop is a two-and-one-half-story, rectangular, wood frame building. Historically, the first floor served as a paint shop, the second floor was used to build the boats, and the timber was dried and stored in the half-story loft. Another boat shop, constructed in 1806, was moved and attached to the original shop in 1860. In 1946, a single-story, wood frame showroom and single-story, wood frame office were added to the existing building as business steadily increased through the end of World War II. Lowell's Boat Shop remained in the Lowell family until 1976. The Newburyport Maritime Society acquired the entire building and many historic artifacts including boat patterns and specialized tools in 1994.

Lowell's Boat Shop, a National Historic Landmark, is located at 459 Main St. in Amesbury. It is owned and maintained by the Newburyport Maritime Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the maritime heritage of the lower Merrimack Valley. Lowell's Boat Shop serves as a working museum and a training ground for boat builders. It is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Tuesday-Sunday, 11:00am to 4:00pm, or by appointment. For further information on classes offered and special events call 978-834-0050 or visit the boat shop's website at www.lowellsboatshop.com. Lowell's Boat Shop has also been documented by the National Park Service Historic American Engineering Record.

Market Square Historic District Located in Newburyport, the Market Square Historic District is one of the last seaport business districts remaining from the golden days of New England shipping. Market Square served as a market since American Indians met early explorers from England, France and Holland on the banks of the Merrimack River to trade furs and fish. In 1796, workers completed the canal connecting Newburyport with inland areas, which made Market Square the trading center for a good portion of interior New England and for sections of the Canadian border. An extensive fire in 1811 destroyed virtually every building in the area. To prevent a similar catastrophe once the Market Square area was rebuilt, the city passed an act promoting the construction of brick or stone buildings, limiting the height of wooden buildings to 25 feet high, and requiring massive fire walls to be built between buildings. Most of the buildings standing in the Market Square Historic District today were built during a 21-year period following the fire and strictly followed the building code.

A majority of the Federal style buildings facing the Square are brick row houses, three stories high and three bays wide, with commercial space below. The ridge roofs topping the row houses are separated by fire walls. Two of the most historically significant buildings in the district are the Market House and the U.S. Customhouse. Construction on the Market House began in 1823. It is a Federal style, brick building with a nine-bay facade. The U.S. Customhouse at 25 Water Street forms the east boundary of the Market Square Historic District. American architect Robert Mills designed this Neo-Classical Revival building in 1835. It currently serves as the Custom House Maritime Museum.

The Market Square Historic District is a triangular space created by the junction of State, Merrimac and Water sts. in Newburyport. Shops and restaurants in the district are open normal business hours. For further information, please call 978-462-8681 or visit the Essex National Heritage Area website.

U.S. Customhouse (Newburyport)

The Newburyport Customhouse was designed by noted architect Robert Mills—the first architect of international reputation both born and trained in America. The two-story, rectangular, Neo-Classical building is made of granite with granite-block pilasters at each corner. The gable roof features an unornamented pediment at each end. At the entrance, a one-story porch projects from the building's façade and two columns support the entablature. Robert Mills is also known for designing important buildings and structures in Washington, D.C., such as the U.S. Treasury, the Old Post Office, the Patent Office and the Washington Monument. Today, the U.S. Customhouse is situated within the Market Square Historic District, on the edge of the city's central business district and in sight of the Merrimack River and Newburyport Harbor. It currently serves as a maritime museum exhibiting original objects from Newburyport's prosperous trade era, maritime art, models of locally-built vessels, maps of trade routes and journals and old maps of the city's origins.

The U.S. Customhouse is located at 25 Water St. in Newburyport. It is operated as a maritime museum by the Newburyport Maritime Society. At this time the museum is closed until further notice due to damage caused by spring floods. For further information, please call 978-462-8681 or visit the Newburyport Maritime Society's website.

Newburyport Harbor Front Range Light and Newburyport Harbor Rear Range Light

The front range light tower was originally situated on the land-end of Bayley's Wharf. In the 1950s, the height of the light in this tower was raised when the original cast iron and glass lantern was removed and a 20-foot tall wood-frame tower, covered in wood shingles, was placed atop the 15-foot tall steel tower. The rear range light tower is situated several feet behind the front range tower and rests on a foundation of beveled stone blocks. It is a 53-foot tall pyramidal brick structure. The original daymark (a sign or shape that is clearly visibile by day) consisted of white paint on the upper third of the north side (or river-facing side) of the structure, with a thick white stripe running the length of the tower. Today, the entire north side of the tower is painted white. Both range lights were discontinued in 1961. Shortly thereafter the front range light was moved to a concrete foundation on nearby Coast Guard property and the rear range light was sold to a private owner. Later, a fire greatly damaged the front range light tower. When it was restored, a replica lantern was placed back atop the 15-foot tall iron tower returning it to its original appearance.

Newburyport Front Range Light Station is located on the grounds of the U.S. Coast Guard Station Merrimack River. Newburyport Harbor Rear Range Light Station is located on Water St. between Federal and Independent sts. Though neither light tower is open to the public both are visible from Water St. in downtown Newburyport or from boat cruises on the Merrimack River .

Newburyport Harbor Light

The present 45-foot tall, wooden, conical tower replaced the remaining towers in 1898. Set some distance back from the beach, it is constructed on sandy yet firm ground and is thereby protected from the continuously changing shoreline. Newburyport Harbor Light retains its original fourth-order Fresnel lens. Although the nearby, two-story keeper's dwelling (1872) still stands, only the light tower is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Looking west from Newburyport Harbor Light, the Newburyport Harbor Range Lights are visible. The Newburyport Harbor Light is a Federal aid to navigation.

The Newburyport Harbor Light Station is located at the north end of Northern Blvd., on Plum Island within the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge. Easily accessible by car, Newburyport Harbor Light Station is generally closed to the public but is occasionally open on weekends during the summer. It is owned by the City of Newburyport and leased to The Friends of Plum Island Light, Inc.

Annisquam Harbor Light Station

The tower interior contains a circular cast-iron staircase (33 stairs) that ascends to the watch room. The handrail is wood and possibly hand cut, as are the ones at Straitsmouth, Eastern Point and Newburyport Harbor light stations. An iron ladder leads from the watch room to the lantern room. The keeper's dwelling has been altered many times since construction, but retains the overall plan and dimensions of the original dwelling. The floor plan resembles the keeper's dwellings at Race Point and Straitsmouth light stations. The wood-frame, two-story building is topped with a gable roof and currently serves as Coast Guard housing. The one-story stone oil house is one of the few examples of its kind in Massachusetts, since most existing oil houses are brick. Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard, Annisquam Harbor Light Station is still an active aid to navigation and is closed to the public.

Annisquam Harbor Light Station is located on Wigwam Point in Gloucester, where the Annisquam River meets Ipswich Bay. Although the lighthouse is closed to the public, limited, short-term parking allows visitors to view the exterior. To access the parking lot, follow Rte. 127 in Gloucester, turn onto Leonard St. (next to a white church), turn right at the sign that says "Norwood Heights" and then follow the road to the end. The lighthouse is also visible from Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester.

Straitsmouth Island Light

The lighthouse continued as an active aid to navigation after automation, but the abandoned keeper's house quickly deteriorated. Although the dwelling underwent some renovations throughout the 1980s, it was subsequently exposed to the elements and further deterioration. In October 1991, a harsh storm destroyed the enclosed passageway attached to the tower. Straitsmouth Island, which is still owned by MAS and used as a bird sanctuary, is closed to the public. Owned and managed by the U.S. Coast Guard, Straitsmouth Island Light continues to operate as a Federal aid to navigation today.

Straitsmouth Island Light Station is located on Straitsmouth Island off the coast of Rockport. The island is owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society and is generally closed to the public. The only access to the island is through occasional MAS kayaking excursions. The U.S. Coast Guard owns and operates the Straitsmouth Island Light Station and it is also closed to the public. Straitsmouth Island Light is visible from the breakwater at the end of Bearskin Neck in Rockport.

Twin Lights Historic District--Cape Ann Light Station Cape Ann Light Station, also known as Thacher Island Twin Lights, was first established on Thacher Island in 1771. Thacher Island is located about a mile offshore of Rockport. The rocky, 50-acre island earned its name when the General Court granted it to Anthony Thacher in 1636-1637. During the Great Storm of 1635, Thacher and his wife were the sole survivors of a tragic shipwreck near the island that claimed the lives of approximately 21 passengers and crew members, including the Thacher's children and friends. Numerous other shipwrecks occurred in the area, and the Massachusetts colonial government eventually purchased the island to establish a light station. One of only 10 lighthouses operating in North America at the time, the Cape Ann Light Station was constructed in 1771 to safely guide mariners past Thacher Island. The two identical wooden towers were among the first built to mark a hazardous location rather than a harbor entrance and were also the last lights built under British rule in the colonies. Prior to the widespread use of revolving or flashing optics, twin towers provided a distinguishing characteristic for mariners.

The original towers were replaced by the present 124-foot tall, twin granite towers in 1861. The new towers, which are the tallest lighthouses in Massachusetts, received enormous first-order Fresnel lenses and were first lit on October 1, 1861. Situated 298 yards apart, each tower is accessed through an enclosed brick passageway located on the west side of the tower's base, and contains a circular staircase (155 stairs) leading from the base to the lantern. In 1932, the use of the north tower was discontinued making it one of the last operational twin light stations on the Atlantic Coast. The south tower was electrified via a submarine cable to the mainland that same year and provided a more intense light. The south tower was automated and unmanned, when a modern optic replaced the Fresnel lens in 1979. The north tower's original Fresnel lens no longer exists, while the south tower's original Fresnel lens is displayed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Museum in New London, Connecticut. In 1989, the north tower was relit as part of its restoration to serve as a private aid to navigation. In January 2001, the Cape Ann Light Station, including several associated outbuildings, received recognition as a National Historic Landmark.

Twin Lights Historic District--Cape Ann Light Station, a National Historic Landmark, is located on the north and southeast sides of Thacher Island. The island is about one mile off the coast of Rockport, about two miles from Gloucester Harbor, and about 30 miles north of Boston. The south tower and southeastern portion of the island (approximately 28 acres) was deeded to the Town of Rockport by the U.S. Coast Guard, which maintains the solar-powered optic. The north tower and northern end of the island (approximately 22 acres) is owned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and managed by the Town of Rockport as a wildlife refuge. Access to the towers is not permitted. Thacher Island is open to the public and is accessible by boat or kayak only.

Gloucester Net and Twine Company

Situated on 1.2 acres, the existing main building and rear power house are some of the city's best examples of industrial architecture. The main building is a large 6-by-16 bay, wood-frame structure dating to 1884. It is currently sheathed with asbestos shingles added in the mid-20th century. Rising three stories from a brick foundation to the low-pitched roof with simple wooden cornice, these architectural features of the main building are typical of this period and of this type of industrial architecture. A one-story wing on the Grove Street elevation retains the original clapboard siding. The one-story, brick power house topped with a gable roof, also built in 1884, is centered behind the main building.

The Gloucester Net and Twine Company is located on the southeast corner of Maplewood Ave. and Grove St. in Gloucester. The buildings are used for industrial production today and are not open to the public.

Our Lady of Good Voyage Church

A fire destroyed the original church in 1914. Prominent architect Halfdan M. Hanson designed and immediately began building the existing, unique Mission style church, which replaced the earlier church. It is the only Mission style church in Gloucester. Modeled after a church in the Azores, Our Lady of Good Voyage consists of two distinct sections: the two-story main worship space that is of a cruciform plan and an L-shaped rectory that extends from the northwest corner of the main worship space. The rectory, which was built between 1872 and 1884 as a separate building, was incorporated into the new church. Resting on a granite foundation, the building is covered in a buff-colored stucco. Flanked by two identical bell towers, the central bay of the façade is pierced by the main entrance at the first level. A rose window adorns the second level, above which rises an ogee pediment supporting a pedestal and a statue of Our Lady of Good Voyage, who holds a boat in her left hand as a symbol of a safe voyage. In 1922, bells were installed in the towers. These bells, still in place today, were cast by John Taylor & Company of England-the same foundry that cast Phildelphia's Liberty Bell.

Our Lady of Good Voyage is located at 142 Prospect St. in Gloucester and is an active church. For further information, call Our Lady of Good Voyage Parish at 978-283-1490.

East Gloucester Square Historic District

The centerpiece of the district—East Gloucester Square—at the intersection of East Main, Highland and Plum Streets, is marked by a small cluster of turn-of-the-century commercial buildings. In 1704, city planners laid East Main Street out to access the Square and run along the harbor's edge. The dwellings on East Main Street generally date from the mid-19th century. They are modest, wood-frame buildings positioned close to one another, but set off from the street by shallow frontyards often defined by granite retaining walls. The street also encompasses both of the district's commercial areas and contains an array of well-preserved 19th- to early 20th-century marine industrial complexes, such as Reed & Gamage, the John F. Wonson Company Store and Gorton's, which include buildings, granite wharves and wooden piers. Highland Street forms the residential core of the district, with single-family houses tucked behind granite retaining walls that slope up the hill from the harbor to Mount Pleasant Avenue. The houses largely date to the mid- and late 19th century and reflect the expansive architectural tastes of the period ranging from the Greek Revival simplicity of the Henry Wonson House, to the flamboyant Second Empire George Douglass House, and the Italianate style represented in the Dr. Eveleth House. Of particular interest on Plum Street are the nearly identical Greek Revival cottages, such as the G. Gerring House, the C. Peterson House, the Herbert McQuin House and the J. S. McQuin House. Some of the most stylish, Italianate residences are situated on Mount Pleasant Avenue, such as the David Robinson House.

The East Gloucester Square Historic District is located in Gloucester on the Cape Ann peninsula. The district is bound by East Main, Highland and Plum sts. and Mount Pleasant Ave. The Gloucester Visitor Welcoming Center, in Stage Fort Park, is open from late May-late October, Thursday-Sunday, and daily during the summer months, from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Call 1-800-649-6839 or 978-281-8865 for further information on visiting Gloucester.

Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial

THEY THAT GO
DOWN TO THE SEA
IN SHIPS
1623 - 1923

The Gloucester Tercentenary Permanent Memorial Association sponsored an artistic competition to commemorate Gloucester's 300th anniversary and to permanently memorialize the thousands of fishermen lost at sea in the first three centuries of Gloucester's history. In 1879 alone, 249 fishermen and 29 vessels were lost during a terrible storm. In preparing for the competition, Craske spent many hours aboard fishing schooners, sketching and photographing fishermen at work. His design was accepted and cast at a cost of $10,000. Generally acknowledged as Craske's finest work, the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial is viewed by thousands of visitors annually and has become a symbol of the city, commemorating Gloucester's link to the sea.

The Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial is located on the south side of Stacy Blvd. at the edge of Gloucester Harbor in Gloucester. It is owned by the City of Gloucester and is publicly accessible.

Adventure

The Adventure represents the end of every aspect of the American fishing schooner era: their construction, romantic beauty, economic feasibility, mode of operation and the fishing industry in general. The Adventure fished out of Gloucester, America's oldest fishing port, from 1926-1934 and out of Boston from 1934-1953 and played a significant role in the most prosperous era of fisheries in the history of Massachusetts and the entire United States. It is one of the last three Gloucester fishing schooners built in Essex that are still afloat. The other two "Gloucestermen" are the 1925 L.A. Dunton berthed at Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Connecticut, and the 1894 Ernestina in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Restoration on the vessel began shortly after the Adventure was donated to the people of Gloucester in 1988. The schooner was selected as an official project of Save America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1999. The Adventure serves as a memorial to the more than 5,000 Gloucester fishermen lost at sea.

The Adventure, a National Historic Landmark, is undergoing restoration at Rose's Marine at 375 Main St. in downtown Gloucester. It is owned and maintained by Gloucester Adventure, Inc. Tours are generally available on Saturday mornings. Please call 978-281-8079 or visit the vessel's website to obtain the most up-to-date tour information.

Ten Pound Island Light

The present conical cast-iron tower replaced the original stone tower in 1881. Resting on a brick foundation, the tower is 30 feet tall and topped with a fifth-order lantern. Other associated buildings include a granite oil house (1821) and a keeper's dwelling. A U.S. Fish Hatchery was constructed on the island in 1889 and abandoned in 1954. In order to uphold Prohibition laws, the U.S. Coast Guard established an air station on the island in 1925. Ten Pound Island Light Station was decommissioned in 1956 and replaced by a modern optic atop an old bell tower on the island. The same optic was subsequently moved to a skeleton tower on the island. The original Fresnel lens was removed from the lantern and is currently on display at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine.

The Lighthouse Preservation Society based in Newburyport, Massachusetts initiated the restoration of Ten Pound Island Light in the late 1980s. At the completion of the project, the modern optic was installed atop the tower and relit as a Federal aid to navigation on August 7, 1989. Although the keeper's dwelling lies in ruins, the oil house underwent restoration in 1995. Today, Ten Pound Island Light continues to operate as an active aid to navigation.

Ten Pound Island Light Station is located on Ten Pound Island in Gloucester Harbor. The island is owned by the City of Gloucester, which maintains walking paths to the lighthouse. Ten Pound Island Light is owned and maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard as a Federal aid to navigation and is closed to the public. The island is open to private boaters, however landing is difficult due to the lack of a landing facility. The light station can be viewed by boat or from several points along the Gloucester waterfront.

Eastern Point Light Station

Operated by the U.S. Coast Guard, Eastern Point Light is an active aid to navigation and is closed to the public. In 1986, the light was automated and unmanned, though the dwellings continued to serve as housing for local U.S. Coast Guard personel. When the original fourth-order Fresnel lens was removed it was replaced by a modern optic. The Fresnel lens is now displayed at the Cape Ann Historical Museum in downtown Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Eastern Point Light Station is located on a rocky promontory overlooking Dog Bar Reef at the eastern entrance to Gloucester Harbor in Gloucester. It is an active aid to navigation and is closed to the public. A nearby breakwater and parking lot are open all year and provide good views of the light station.

Hospital Point Light Station

The name of the light station stems from a smallpox hospital built on the site in 1801. Used as military barracks during the War of 1812, the hospital burned down in 1849. During the 18th and 19th centuries, Beverly and Salem served as active ports for both trade and fishing. Hospital Light was first lit in 1872, around the same time that the nearby Derby Wharf and Winter Island (Fort Pickering) lights were built, in a concerted effort to safely guide vessels into Salem and Beverly Harbors. In 1927, Hospital Point Light officially became the Hospital Point Range Front Light. That same year, a rear range light was installed in the steeple of Beverly's First Baptist Church, approximately one mile distant.

Although a majority of Fresnel lenses have been removed from U.S. lighthouses and replaced with modern, acrylic optics, Hospital Point Light Station retains its original third and one-half order Fresnel lens. In front of the lens is a condensing panel to diminish the intensity of the light if a mariner veers from the main channel into Salem Harbor. This condensing panel is also considered unique in American lighthouses.

Hospital Point Light Station is located on a rocky promontory on the west side of Beverly Cove on the main channel into Salem Harbor in Beverly. Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard, Hospital Point Light is an active aid to navigation and is closed to the public. The light station can be seen fairly well from nearby Bayview Avenue. The pier at Salem Willows Park in Salem provides a distant view, but it is best seen by boat. Approach is by a private road, and a fence and gate surround the property. The Coast Guard opens the lighthouse for tours on a Sunday each August as part of Beverly Homecoming Week (www.beverlyhomecoming.com)-an annual celebration for the citizens and friends of Beverly.

Fish Flake Hill Historic District

Beverly's maritime activity steadily declined after the Civil War, as did the residential neighborhoods, and the city became increasingly dependent on industry. In 1971, the Fish Flake Historic District was created by the City of Beverly to protect the area and foster improvements. The historic district contains 152 properties on 35 acres including the homes of several ship captains responsible for Beverly's early maritime success, such as the Captain William Gage House (pre-1750), the Captain Hugh Hill House (1780) and the Captain John Wallis House (1839). The district is primarily residential in character, composed of closely set houses constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Several commercial and industrial buildings—some associated with the district's heyday as a maritime center and others of more recent construction—are also included. Buildings are generally two or three stories in height. The predominant building material in the district is wood, with brick seen in only one residential and several commercial buildings.

The Fish Flake Hill Historic District overlooks Beverly Harbor and is roughly bounded by Cabot, Bartlett and Water sts. in Beverly. The Essex National Heritage Area Commission offers an "Early Settlement Trail" tour, which includes the Fish Flake Hill Historic District. For further information on the "Early Settlement Trail", please call 978-740-0444 or visit the Essex National Heritage Area website.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site

One of the most prominent buildings at the site is the U.S. Custom House constructed in 1819 on Derby Street overlooking Salem Harbor. The Custom House was the last of 13 customhouses in the city of Salem. The first was established by the British Government in 1649 to collect taxes on imported cargos, and in 1789, the U.S. Congress established a customs district in Salem as one of its first acts under the newly-ratified Constitution. Before the start of the 19th century, customhouses could often be found in the houses of the customs collector or in rented space along the waterfront. Built at the same time and connected to the Custom House, the three-story Public Stores was a bonded warehouse. It was used by the Customs Service to hold cargo for merchants until they were able to pay the duties on their goods. In addition, in 1829, a scale house was constructed behind the Custom House and was used as a storage facility for the equipment required for weighing cargo that was unloaded from a ship.

Directly in front of the Custom House are two of Salem's most historically active wharfs—Central Wharf and Derby Wharf. During Salem's heyday both wharfs would have been lined with warehouses of local merchants. Other historic buildings within Salem Maritime National Historic Site include the home of one of Salem's most successful merchants—the Derby House (1762), a ship captain—the Narbonne House (1675/1740), and a ship builder—the Hawkes House (1800), as well as a commercial building, the West India Dry Goods Store, which was built by Captain Henry Prince about 1804 and used as a warehouse and shop.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site is located at 178 Derby St. in Salem. It is managed by the National Park Service and is also part of the Essex National Heritage Area. An In-Depth Virtual Tour is offered on the park's website. Salem Maritime National Historic Site is open daily from 9:00am to 5:00pm; closed major holidays. Ranger-guided tours of the Friendship, a full-size replica of a 1797 Salem merchant vessel, the Custom House, the Derby House and the Narbonne House are available for a small fee. Please call 978-740-1650 or visit the park's website to obtain the most up-to-date tour information.

Derby Waterfront District

The Miles Ward House at the corner of Herbert and Derby Streets was built in the 1730s for Richard Derby. Elias Hasket Derby, a prosperous merchant of the 18th century, grew up in the house and would settle in a brick Georgian-style house just a few doors away after his marriage to Elizabeth Crowninshield. In the Custom House chapter of the Scarlet Letter, Nathanial Hawthorne refers to E.H. Derby as "King Derby." Further down Derby at 180 is the Benjamin W. Crowninshield House, a large Federal brick mansion built from 1810 to 1812. Crowinshield, a member of an important Massachusetts merchant family served as a U.S. Congressman and as the Secretary of the Navy under Presidents James Madison and James Monroe. The house was later occupied by General James Miller while serving as collector of the Port of Salem from 1825 to 1829. In 1861, the house became a home for aged women, a purpose it still serves today. It was expanded considerably in 1906 and 1916 to accommodate its new purpose. At 188 Derby is the house of Simon Forrester, a prosperous merchant and former ship captain. Forrester, of Scotch-Irish descent, came to America after signing on to the Salem schooner Salisbury captained by Daniel Hawthorne—grandfather to the author Nathanial Hawthorne—in the late 1760s. The design of the substantial wooden house is credited to Samuel McIntire though it has been altered over time with many of its distinguishing architectural elements removed.

The district also includes the House of Seven Gables Complex. The centerpiece is the House of Seven Gables, the inspiration for Nathanial Hawthorne's novel and a rare surviving large 17th-century, wooden house. The complex includes several other important buildings related to the maritime history of Salem, some of which were moved to the site to ensure their preservation, including the Nathanial Hawthorne birthplace, the Retire Beckett House, the Counting House, the Hathaway House, Emmerton Hall, the Phippen House and the Doret House.

The Derby Waterfront District is located in the waterfront area of Salem. It includes both sides of Derby St. between Herbert St. and Block House Square and the streets to the south of Derby St. from the Salem Maritime National Historic Site to Blaney St. Many of the houses and buildings within the district are privately owned and used for residential and commercial purposes. Guided tours of the House of Seven Gables Complex are offered mid-January through December, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, with later hours until 7:00pm from July-October, and until 11:00pm on October weekends only; closed major holidays. There is a fee for admission. Please call 978-744-0991 or visit the House of Seven Gables website for further information.

Derby Wharf Light Station

The Derby Wharf Light Station, administered by the National Park Service's Salem Maritime National Historic Site, is located at the end of Derby Wharf on the west side of Salem Harbor in Salem. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains the modern acrylic optic. The Derby Wharf is open all year and visitors can walk out to the tower. For more information visit the park's website or call 978-740-1650.

Nathaniel Bowditch HouseNathaniel Bowditch was a prominent 18th-century mariner who effected great advances in navigation and helped bring European mathematics to America. Bowditch was born in Salem in 1773. He was schooled up to the age of 10, when he went to work in his father's cooperage. Two years later he was apprenticed to a local ship chandler (a store specializing in nautical provisions and supplies). However, his love of learning never ceased and in the hours he was not working, he taught himself Latin and French, studied mathematics including algebra and calculus, as well as science and astronomy. When his apprenticeship ended in 1795, he left on the first of five voyages to the East Indies. While at sea, he continued to educate himself by studying sailing charts and navigation, taking lunar measurements and filling notebooks with his observations.

It was during these voyages that Bowditch documented thousands of mistakes in The Practical Navigator, a manual of navigation written by Englishman John Hamilton Moore. Bowditch would later write his own manual on navigation, The New American Practical Navigator, which also included tide tables, astronomical tables, the duties of officers and a textbook on navigation. First published in 1802, the book became every seaman's bible and was often referred to simply as a "Bowditch." It was updated and republished several times during Bowditch's lifetime. Rights to the book were purchased in 1866 by the Federal government, which continues to publish the book today. The most recent edition was published in 2002.

During his time at sea Bowditch took on increasingly more important jobs, and on his fifth voyage he was both master and part owner of the ship. After this trip he returned to Salem, where he continued his mathematical studies and entered the insurance business. Bowditch became president of the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company and in 1811 bought a three-story, Federal style clapboard house at 312 Essex Street for his growing family. During the years he lived in the house, Bowditch began work translating Pierre Laplace's Traité de mécanique céleste, the great work on mathematics and theoretical astronomy.

Bowditch's study in the fields of science and mathematics earned him widespread recognition. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1799 and to the Edinburgh and London Royal Societies in 1818. In addition, Bowditch was offered positions at several prominent colleges including Harvard, West Point and the University of Virginia, all of which he turned down. In 1823, Bowditch left the Essex Fire and Marine Insurance Company and Salem to become an actuary for the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company. He died in Boston in 1838.

To save the house in Salem that Bowditch had occupied for more than a decade, it was moved to North Street when Essex Street was widened in the 1940s. In 1965, the house was designated a National Historic Landmark, further recognizing Nathanial Bowditch's contributions to both academia and navigation.

The Nathaniel Bowditch House, a National Historic Landmark, is located at 9 North St. in Salem. It is owned by Historic Salem Inc., which completed an exterior restoration in 2003. Interior renovations are currently underway. A walking tour entitled "Bowditch's Salem, A Walking Tour of the Great Age of Sail" was published by the Salem Maritime National Historic Site in partnership with Historic Salem Inc. and The House of Seven Gables. The brochure can be accessed online through the Essex National Heritage Area's website.

Marblehead Light Marblehead Light Station is one of about 14 examples of pyramidal skeletal lighthouses surviving in the United States today, as well as the only one of its kind in New England. The 105-foot tall, cast-iron structure with a central tower cylinder was built in 1896, although Marblehead Light Station was first established in 1835. As Marblehead Neck grew in popularity as a summer resort, the surrounding residential development eventually obscured the original 20-foot tall, conical brick tower. In 1883, a light was placed atop a 100-foot tall wooden mast next to the original light tower until the present tower was constructed.

The exoskeleton framework consists of eight vertical cast-iron supports canting inwards, four of which attach directly under the watch room. Metal beams connect to the vertical supports in four places. Diagonal adjustable tie rods provide additional support for the structure. A circular metal staircase ascends from the entrance at the base of the tower cylinder to the watch room. A slanted ship's ladder leads from the watch room to the lantern. The original keeper's quarters was demolished in 1959, but a brick oil house situated southwest of the tower still stands.

Beginning in 1884 with the Sanibel Island Light Station in Florida, the Lighthouse Board adopted a standardized plan for skeletal lighthouses measuring about 100 feet in height and featuring a square footprint. These lighthouses had watch rooms and lantern rooms, each surrounded by a gallery. Another distinctive feature in the design of these taller towers is an extra leg, or vertical cast-iron support, between each corner support running about half way up the side of each face.

Marblehead Light Station is located on the north point of Marblehead Neck at the east entrance of Marblehead Harbor. It is within Chandler Hovey Park, which is managed by the town of Marblehead and remains open to the public all year. The U.S. Coast Guard owns and manages Marblehead Light. An active aid to navigation, Marblehead Light is currently licensed to the Marblehead Rotary Club and is open to the public by special arrangement only.

Naval Hospital Boston Historic District (Chelsea Naval Hospital) At the time the Boston Naval Hospital closed its doors in 1974, it was the oldest naval hospital in continuous service in the United States. The hospital, which was commissioned and opened on January 7, 1836, was one of the first three hospitals specifically authorized by Congress to accommodate naval personnel. Previously, navy personnel received treatment at marine hospitals, which the U.S. Department of Treasury operated for all mariners. Originally called "Naval Hospital at Charlestown (Chelsea Site)," then "Naval Hospital Chelsea," and finally "Naval Hospital Boston," it served naval personnel and others during the Civil War, Spanish-American War, the Chelsea Fire of 1908, World War I and World War II. At the time the hospital shut its doors it comprised approximately 88 acres of land on the Mystic River with five historic buildings erected between 1836 and 1915, as well as several other buildings built after 1915.

The original 1836 granite-block hospital building was constructed near the river and could accommodate about 100 patients. A wing was added on the west side in 1865 and an addition to the north end in 1903. A new hospital building was constructed further up the hill and away from the river in 1915 and the old building was converted to quarters for hospital personnel.

Before the first hospital building was completed, several acres of land near the river were transferred to the Bureau of Ordnance and two single story stone structures were built. The larger of the two buildings was used as an ordnance magazine and was constructed in such a way that if there was an explosion it would be directed upward through the roof rather than outward through the walls. Both buildings were returned to the hospital in 1910 and the smaller building was converted into quarters for the Chief Radio Operator for the radio station on site. After the station was discontinued both buildings functioned as storage space.

In December 1857, a parcel of land was sold to the Treasury Department for the erection of a new marine hospital. Originally a three-story building, it was built with an I-shaped footprint. A fourth-story was added in 1866 with a mansard roof. It often served as overflow space for the naval hospital. The building and property were returned to the Navy Department in 1940 and the building was converted into barracks. After the Naval Hospital closed, the property was turned over to the City of Chelsea for redevelopment. The original naval hospital and the marine hospital buildings were converted into condominiums in the early 1980s. Also still extant are the ordnance buildings and the Commanding Officer's quarters, parts of which date to 1856.

The Naval Hospital Boston Historic District (Chelsea Naval Hospital) is located along the Mystic River, west of the Northeast Expressway, in Chelsea. While the buildings are now privately owned, they can be viewed from the street. The Commanding Officer's Quarters, Naval Hospital building and ordnance buildings are all located on Commandant's Way, and the Marine Hospital building is located on Captains Row.

Boston Naval Shipyard (Charlestown Navy Yard) Established in 1800, Charlestown Navy Yard (formally designated the Boston Naval Shipyard in 1945) played an important role in the birth, growth and continued effectiveness of the U.S. Navy. The men and women employed at the Charlestown Navy Yard built more than 200 warships, maintained and repaired thousands of others, and proved their worth in each of the Nation's wars throughout its 174-year history. The Yard, consisting of industrial buildings, cranes, dry docks, slips, piers, residences and military buildings, is situated along the southeastern Charlestown waterfront in Boston's inner harbor. Some of the historically significant structures located within the boundaries of Charlestown Navy Yard are Dry Dock 1, which was built in 1827 as one of the first two dry docks in the country; the ropewalk designed by Alexander Parris, which began operation in 1838; and the chain forge, built in 1904, where die-lock chain was invented and perfected for production in 1926.

Built between 1827 and 1833 the Charlestown Naval Dry Dock, Boston, Massachusetts and the Gosport Naval Dry Dock, Norfolk, Virginia are two of the earliest major structures of their type in the United States. Despite the lack of scientific knowledge of hydraulics and geotechnology at the time, Loammi Baldwin II and his associated engineers successfully completed these projects which served the U.S. Navy for well over a century.

Throughout its history the Charlestown Navy Yard has been referred to by a number of different names. Navy tradition dictates that a shore station or yard was named after the largest city in the geographical area—in this case the U.S. Navy Yard, Boston. However, most yards were known by multiple names, the alternative, like Charlestown, usually being the name of the actual place where the yard was located. Throughout the 19th century, "navy yard at Boston " and "navy yard at Charlestown " frequently appeared in both correspondence and Congressional legislation, often interchangeably. It does not appear that there was ever a formal order naming the facility until the November 1945 reorganization of naval shore establishments, when it became the Boston Naval Shipyard.

The shipyard closed in 1974, and that same year Congress passed the Boston National Historical Park Act of 1974. The act formalized Charlestown Navy Yard as the legal name of the property, and thirty acres of the original 129.5-acre navy yard were designated as part of the park. The remainder of the property was turned over to the City of Boston for redevelopment. The park contains 20 buildings, Dry Dock 1, three piers, and an assemblage of artifacts including a large collection of navy documents relating to the history of the facility. The USS Constitution and USS Cassin Young are also displayed, representing the types of vessels built in this shipyard.

Boston Naval Shipyard is located on the south side of Chelsea St. in the Charlestown area of Boston. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Thirty acres of the shipyard are managed by the National Park Service as part of Boston National Historical Park. Visitors are invited to begin at the Charleston Navy Yard Visitor Information Center located on the Freedom Trail near Gate 1 of the Navy Yard. The Information Center is open daily and provides program schedules. For further information on tour schedules or to make group reservations, visit the park's website or call 617-242-5601. The remainder of the shipyard property has been redeveloped for housing, offices and research laboratories. Various historic buildings related to the shipyard can be viewed on the streets located directly east and west of the park.

USS Constitution Designed by Joshua Humphreys, the frigate USS Constitution was launched at Edmond Hartt Shipyard in Boston on October 21, 1797. Completed at a cost of $302,718, it carried a crew of 450 to 500 men, measured 204 feet in length with a beam of 43.5 feet and displaced 2,200 tons of water. The USS Constitution was one of six ships ordered by President George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests. Humphreys incorporated the best features of existing English and French naval vessels and then designed ships powerful enough to defeat any enemy of equal size, yet faster than any stronger opponent. Although renowned for its ability to punish French privateers in the Caribbean and Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, the USS Constitution's greatest accomplishment came during the War of 1812 when it defeated four British frigates. The USS Constitution earned the nickname "Old Ironsides" after battling the British ship Guerriere on August 19, 1812. British cannonballs seemed to bounce off its thick wooden sides, which were comprised of three layers of oak, and fall into the water.

The USS Constitution returned to Boston in 1815 and remained there for six years before serving again in the Mediterranean from 1821 to 1828. A board of naval commissioners deemed the vessel unseaworthy and recommended the ship for scrapping in 1829. However, Oliver Wendell Holmes' popular poem entitled, "Old Ironsides," caused a wave of public protest that subsequently saved the ship and led to its restoration. The USS Constitution performed many military tasks throughout the remainder of the 19th century, including service as both a barracks and training ship. Restored again in 1927, the USS Constitution toured coastal waters before being moored at the Boston Naval Shipyard in 1934. The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world and gained National Historic Landmark status in 1960. It is