Butler Flats Light Station

[photo]
Butler Flats Light Station
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc
First illuminated on April 30, 1898, Butler Flats Light Station replaced the old Clark's Point Light, which had been active since 1804. It is a well-maintained example of a brick tower resting on a caisson foundation. Noted artist, author and engineer, Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838-1915) designed Butler Flats Light. Smith was also responsible for designing other maritime structures such as Race Rock Light Station, the breakwaters at Block Island, the sea wall at Governor's Island, New York, and the foundation of the Statue of Liberty. Filled with stone and concrete, the cylindrical, cast-iron caisson measures 35 feet in diameter. It flares outward at the top and supports the 53-foot tall cylindrical tower. The hollow, upper portion of the foundation originally served as a basement. The three-story, "sparkplug" style light tower is topped by a watch room and a fifth-order lantern. An exterior gallery deck surrounds the first level of the tower.

[photo]
Butler Flats Light Station
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc

Butler Flats Light is unusual in that it had only two keepers, Amos Baker and his son Charles Baker, from 1898 until the U.S. Coast Guard took over operation in 1941. Following automation in 1978, Butler Flats Light became one of the first solar-powered lights in the Nation. The City of New Bedford took over ownership and control of the light station around this time and began making plans to repair and maintain the structure. On April 30, 1998, more than 600 people attended a celebration of Butler Flats Light's 100th birthday as a new, brighter optic, powered by a cable from shore, was illuminated for the first time.

Butler Flats Light Station is located in the New Bedford Channel at the mouth of the Acushnet River offshore from New Bedford. It is owned and operated as an active private aid to navigation by the City of New Bedford and is closed to the public. It is best seen by boat and is also easily viewed from shore along East Rodney French Blvd.

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