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Gay Head Light (Gay Head on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts)
Standing on top of 130-foot high cliffs, the Gay Head light is the highest light on Martha’s Vineyard. The 51-foot brick lighthouse emits an alternating red and white flash with a focal plane of 170 feet.
The first tower built on these cliffs was an octagonal
structure and was first lit on November 18, 1799. The light was important to
help mariners entering Vineyard Sound from buzzards bay. In 1852 Gay Head Light was listed in a lighthouse report as
being the ninth most important seacoast light in the United States.
The original tower was reaching the end of its life.
The tower was decayed in several places, the mechanisms used to rotate
the light often malfunctioned, and the reflectors were worn out. It was decided
in 1854 to build a new brick lighthouse with a more powerful light. The current 51-foot brick lighthouse was built and a huge first-order Fresnel lens was obtained from Paris. This lens contained 1,008 glass prisms and had been on display in Paris at the World’s Fair. The brick tower was completed and lit in 1856 along with a brick keeper’s house.
During the 1890’s many of the keeper’s and their
families were taken by illness, often resulting in death. It was determined that the cause was the extreme dampness of
the brick keeper’s house, so in 1902 the brick house was torn down and a new
wooden house was built on higher ground. Today, the keeper’s house no longer
exists. Kerosene was introduced in 1912 and the Fresnel lens was removed in 1952, being replaced by a modern automatic light. The Fresnel lens that was removed is on display at the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society in Edgartown. Today, the lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation.
The Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society has since 1994 been responsible for
the maintenance of the light. The light is best seen from the scenic overlook near the shops and restaurants at Gay Head where one can overlook the cliffs.
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All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws. Do not reproduce any images from this website without permission of the author. Copyright (c) 2000 Rick Totton.
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