Boston Light
| Boston Light | ||
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| Place: | Little Brewster Island , Boston Harbor , Massachusetts , United States | |
| Location: | Massachusetts , United States | |
| Geographical location: | 42 ° 19 '40.6 " N , 70 ° 53' 24.4" W | |
| Fire carrier height : | 98 ft (29.9 m ) | |
| Fire height : | 102 ft (31.1 m) | |
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| Identifier : | Fl W 10s | |
| Scope knows: | 27 nm (50 km ) | |
| Optics: | 2nd order Fresnel lens | |
| Construction time: | 1716/1783 | |
| Operating time: | 1716 to 1776 1783 to date |
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Boston Light (also Boston Harbor Light ) is a lighthouse on the Boston Island Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor in the state of Massachusetts of the United States . In relation to the first Boston Light , built on the same site in 1716, it is the oldest lighthouse on the North American continent and also the last to be automated. It is administered by the United States Coast Guard and is the only structure of its kind in the USA that is still looked after by a lighthouse keeper .
architecture
The tower, which tapers to the top , was built from small boulders and bricks on a granite foundation .
history
The first structure erected on this site was commissioned on September 14, 1716, making it the first lighthouse in North America . A penny per tonne tax was levied on ships entering and leaving Boston Harbor for maintenance.
The first lighthouse keeper, George Worthylake, earned 50 British pounds per year (corresponding to a current purchasing power of around 9,000 pounds) and was also a port pilot for incoming ships. He and his family were killed in a boat accident while crossing from Boston to the island in 1718. Benjamin Franklin wrote the ballad "Lighthouse Tragedy" about this event .
In the same year the lighthouse keeper's salary was increased to 70 pounds (approx. 13,800 pounds today). In 1719, at the request of John Hayes , who had taken over the office, a cannon was installed to answer ships in the fog. In 1751 the lighthouse was badly damaged by fire.
The British took possession of the island in 1774 and closed the port a year later, rendering the lighthouse useless. When they escaped from Boston in June 1776, they left behind a timed charge that completely destroyed the lighthouse when it exploded.
In 1783, the Massachusetts government provided £ 1,450 (around £ 187,500 today) to build a new lighthouse on the site of the old Boston Light . At the time of initial commissioning, it was 75 ft (22.9 m) high and had 7.5 ft (2.3 m) thick walls near the ground, which at the top reached a thickness of 2.6 ft (0, 8 m) tapered. The octagonal fire house was 15 ft (4.6 m) high and 8 ft (2.4 m) in diameter.
In 1856 the height of the lighthouse was increased to 98 ft (29.9 m). In 1893 a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were sent to the island to experiment with different types of foghorns . During the Second World War , the lighthouse was switched off for safety reasons and put back into operation on July 2, 1945.
In 1998 the lighthouse was fully automated. Since then, the lighthouse keeper has mainly worked as a tourist guide.
On January 29, 1962, Boston Light was granted National Historic Landmark status . On October 15, 1966, the construction took place in the National Register of Historic Places .
technology
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The lighthouse has a luminosity of 1.8 million candle strengths , which is bundled via a 12-sided Fresnel lens of the 2nd order and can be seen 27 nm (50 km ) away. It sends a flash of white light every 10 seconds. The lens is the only one of its kind of four originally built that is still in use in Massachusetts today. The tower's fog horn sends a single beep every 30 seconds.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Historic Light Station Information. Massachusetts. United States Coast Guard, accessed June 12, 2013 .
- ↑ Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Massachusetts. National Park Service , accessed August 5, 2019.
- ^ Entry Boston Light in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 23, 2016
Web links
- Jeremy D'Entremont: Boston Light. New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. Retrieved June 14, 2013 .
