Marblehead Light

[photo]
Marblehead Light
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc
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.

[photo]
Marblehead Light
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc

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.

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