Saturday, August 27, 2016

Saturday, August 27 - Lighthouses

As my followers know, I have an extreme fascination for lighthouses. I cannot explain why, or when it began, but they draw me in as a moth to a flame. I saw so many of them on my trip to the Maritimes, yet I still cannot get enough of them!

I am hoping to see at least 3 or 4 of the Vineyard's lighthouses next month when my brother and I visit. He is not enamored of them, but as I am driving on this trip we shall see where we end up :)

Lighthouses are so very fascinating! Of course they were erected for excellent reasons in strategic places, and have been kept through the years by lighthouse keepers and their families. A few years ago my sister and I journeyed to Pemaquid Point, Maine, and had an up-close, one of a kind tour. She had contacted the keeper ahead of time, and it was just the 2 of us. He was eager to allow us to climb to the top of the lighthouse (which is narrow and cramped and rather claustrophobic).

It was really cool, but also very small (space-wise). First and last time for me! Not an experience I care to repeat. I am claustrophobic and was shaking by the time I came down.

I did get quite a lesson on Fresnel lenses however. They slowly replaced the parabolic reflectors lighthouses along the east coast of America had used previously. Parabolic reflectors had a maximum light distance of 2-4 miles. Fresnel lenses will project light for over 20 miles. It is really fascinating, and the history and science quite something! if interested just google it :) Fresnel lenses are rated on orders; the one at Pemaquid is only one of only 6 in Maine that is on the fourth order.

Although many of the lighthouses are no longer actively used, quite a few are still are. Most lighthouses in the United States are owned and run by the Coast Guard. Pemaquid Point is still active due to the tricky waters and tides in the bay. Here are some pictures that clearly show why!
Pemaquid Point

Pemaquid Point
I will never forget our guide that day, Marty. His enthusiasm, knowledge and dedication to keeping the Pemaquid Light are something I will always remember.

 The 5 lighthouses on the Vineyard... (a lot of the following descriptions are paraphrased and distillled from several websites).

The 5 lighthouses on the Island represent the most diverse group in a small, contained area in the country, according to lighthouse buffs. All are on the north side of the Island overlooking Vineyard and Nantucket Sound.

The West Chop Lighthouse was the Island's last manned lighthouse. It was built in 1817, and in 1838 the wooden building was replaced by the present brick structure. It was moved back from the edge of the 60-foot-high bluff in 1848 and again in 1891. It is now privately owned and not open to the public.
The East Chop lighthouse in Oak Bluffs stands on the site of one of the first telegraph signals, set up in 1828. Signals from Nantucket were received here and relayed on to Woods Hole, South Plymouth, Duxbury, Marshfield, and Dorchester Heights. A series of raised and lowered arms and flags conveyed news about cargos of ships arriving at Nantucket. 1891. Originally called "Holmes Hole," it acquired the name Vineyard Haven in 1871.
East Chop Lighthouse

West Chop Lighthouse
The original Edgartown Lighthouse was built in 1828, on a small man-made island in the Edgartown harbor. An Act of Congress allocated money to build it 1/4 mile from shore. The first structure was replaced in 1938 by one reached via raft to the Vineyard from Ipswich. Although the new light was placed on the original site, sand had filled in the area between the island and the mainland, and the current Edgartown Lighthouse stands on shore.

Edgartown Lighthouse
Martha's Vineyard sits in treacherous seas, with one tide coming in from Boston, affecting the south side of the Vineyard, and another from Rhode Island, affecting the north shore. There are reefs, rocks, and shoals, and the infamous Devil's Bridge off Aquinnah, which wrecked the steamship "The City of Columbus" on January 18, 1884, with the loss of 120 crew and passengers in the icy waters. Thus the need for so many lighthouses on such a small island.

The Gay Head (Aquinnah) lighthouse has always been perilously close to the ever-eroding cliffs. The red brick light was built in 1844 to replace a wooden tower authorized by President John Quincy Adams. In 1856, a Fresnel lens was installed, after having been proudly exhibited at the World's Fair in Paris. It is now preserved at the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society in Edgartown, and is lighted every evening after dark throughout the year.
Gay Head Lighthouse

Aquinnah cliffs
Cape Poge lighthouse, the island's most remote, was built in 1801 when an Act of Congress appropriated $2,000 for its 4 acre site. The original lighthouse was made of wood and had a small caretaker's cottage.

By 1838, the building was destroyed by the ravaging sea and rebuilt farther inland. It lasted 50 years before the sea again claimed it and it was rebuilt, with a change from reflector lamps to red and white revolving prisms. The sea would not be denied, and reclaimed the lighthouse again in 1892. It was rebuilt but only lasted another 35 years. The present wooden structure was built in 1922, 55 feet high with a light visible for a distance of 12 miles. In 1985 it gained the distinction of being the first entire lighthouse to be moved by helicopter; in 1997 the lantern was again moved by helicopter for repairs. The lighthouse's current site is 300 feet from the ever-hungry sea.
Cape Poge Lighthouse







 


The lighthouses of Edgartown, East Chop, and Gay Head are still operating. Their lanterns are now automated, but the US Coast Guard minds them carefully :)

1 comment:

  1. The history and facsination with light houses is very interesting! I'll read up on it as it sounds interesting.

    Peter

    ReplyDelete