Last updated: June 21, 2024
Place
"Lighting the Way" Sign
NPS Photo/M Mark
Quick Facts
Location:
Spectacle Island
Amenities
1 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits
Description
Low-profile wayside that is 40.5 x 24 3/8 inches, with interpretation panel spanning 36.5 inches wide. It has a grey square base with two rectangular pillars supporting the panel. The panel is framed in grey metal. The sign is located on the interpretive trail on the North Drumlin.
Layout
At the top of the sign is a black banner with white text. Aligned to the left is text that reads “Spectacle Island, Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park.” Aligned to the right is text that reads “Owned by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.” The section of text is titled, “Channel Navigation” in red text aligned to the left just underneath the black banner. The panel background is made up a black and white image of a light house on Spectacle Island. On the left, there is one column of text with two paragraphs. And on the right side there are two offset images. At the bottom of the panel, the title reads “Lighting the Way” in red text.
Image (right top)
Black and white aerial photo of the range lights on the northeast edge of the north drumlin. The north drumlin is positioned at an angle throughout the frame, with the edge of the island almost touching the right end of the frame. The land is ringed by rocky beaches and has a flat top. On the island there is a taller light grey range light towards the middle of the drumlin, with a small white structure connected by a road to a two-story white house that is on the far edge of the drumlin. On the very edge of the island to the right is a range light, with a white base and a black top.
Image Caption (right top)
Aerial view of the range lights on the northeast edge of the north drumlin.
Image Credit (right top)
Courtesy of Al Schroeder
Image (right bottom)
Map of Spectacle Island from 1932. It has depth markings throughout, marking the height of the island as well as the underwater geography. Spectacle Island is colored light brown, and the water is a bright blue. Starred on the map are the two different sets of range lights on the northeast edge of the north drumlin. One set of range lights is marked in orange and labeled “Range Lights” in an orange text box and faces out towards the open sea. The other set, facing Long Island, faces in towards the harbor, and is labeled “Range Lights” in yellow. A red dotted line runs from each of the starred range lights, forming an obtuse triangle in the top part of the image, going from top corner to top corner.
Image Caption (right bottom)
When a pair of range lights appeared stacked like a traffic light, it marked the center of the channel and created a leading line for ships to follow.
Image Credit: (right bottom)
NOAA (1909)
Image (background)
A black and white photo of a range light and house on the north drumlin of Spectacle Island. On the left of the image stands the range light close to the viewer on a gently sloped hilled. It is white, cylindrical, and has a few windows leading up to the top where there is a black octagonal box with a black railing around a small platform. Another range light is in the distance behind the one in the forefront. To the right there is a slope up the drumlin where a small two-story house sits. The background is grey, and a small bit of the harbor can be seen off to the left of the range lights.
Image Credit (background)
Photos from the collection of Edward Rowe Snow, courtesy of Dorothy Bicknell
Main Text
Historically, Spectacle Island’s north drumlin hosted two pairs of range lights: Spectacle Island Range Lights (1897-1913) and Broad Channel Range Lights (1903-1950s). Mariners counted on these lights to safely navigate the harbor’s narrow channels.
Over time, harbor dredging opened new channels and shipping patterns changed. In the 1950s, the last of the range lights on Spectacle was retired.