Cape Poge Light

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Cape Poge Light
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc
First established in 1802, Cape Poge Light Station has been rebuilt at least four times and extensive shoreline erosion throughout the years required that the tower be moved several times. The original light station consisted of a one-and-one-half-story keeper's dwelling and a 35-foot tall wooden tower, which guided mariners into Edgartown Harbor. After moving the tower back from the edge of the eroding cliff in 1838, workers constructed a new tower in 1844 and it received a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1857. A new keeper's dwelling and oil house were constructed in 1851.

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Historic photo of Cape Poge Light
Photo courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard

The encroaching shoreline necessitated the construction of another new light tower and keeper's house in 1880. Using the same design as the 1844 tower, the present tower was built 40 feet inland from the previous one in 1893. The 35-foot tall, conical, wooden tower was considered a temporary structure, but it has survived more than a century. A small enclosed entryway with a gable roof allows access to the tower. The 1893 tower has been moved four times: in 1907, 1922, 1960 and 1987. During the 1987 move, a helicopter transported the tower 500 feet from the shoreline onto land owned by the Trustees of Reservations within the boundaries of Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge. Automated in 1943, a modern plastic optic did not replace the original Fresnel lens until 1987. The Fresnel lens is displayed at the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society Museum in Edgartown, Massachusetts. In 1997, the lantern was removed by helicopter, repaired and replaced atop the tower. Only the tower exists today and it continues to operate as an active Federal aid to navigation.

Cape Poge Light is located on Dike Rd. on the northeast side of Chappaquiddick Island off Martha's Vineyard. Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and leased to the Trustees of Reservations, it is an active aid to navigation. The light station is located within Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge, which is open to the public year-round. The Trustees of Reservations offer tours of the light station from Memorial Day to Columbus Day for a small fee. Reservations are required and are obtained by calling 508-627-3599.

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