Edgartown Harbor Light
| Edgartown Harbor Light | ||
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| Place: | Edgartown , Massachusetts , United States | |
| Location: | N. Water Street | |
| Geographical location: | 41 ° 23 '27.1 " N , 70 ° 30' 11" W | |
| Fire carrier height : | 45 ft (13.7 m) | |
| Fire height : | 45 ft (13.7 m) | |
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| Identifier : | Fl R 6s | |
| Scope red: | 5 nm (9.3 km ) | |
| Optics: | 250 mm | |
| Function: | Navigation aid | |
| Construction time: | 1881/1939 | |
| Operating time: | til today | |
| International ordinal number: | J0440 | |
The Edgartown Harbor Light is one of five lighthouses on Martha's Vineyard in the state of Massachusetts in the United States . The current structure was originally built in 1881 on Crane Beach in Ipswich as one of the Ipswich Range Lights and moved to its current location near Edgartown in 1939 . It was inscribed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987 as part of the Multiple Property Submission Lighthouses of Massachusetts MPS .
history
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In 1828, the United States Congress approved funding of $ 5,500 (approximately $ 152,700 today) to build a lighthouse on the site of the current structure, which, due to the booming whaling industry - Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard shared a property at the time Quarter of the US whaling fleet - making steadily increasing shipping traffic safer. Then the state of Massachusetts acquired the requisite land for a purchase price of 80 dollars (now about $ 2,200) by Seth Vincent and settled for around 4,000 dollars (now about 111,100 US dollars) a two-story building erected on the roof of a beacon was placed, which emitted a continuous white light with a range of 14 nm (25.9 km ). Since the lighthouse was built on stilts off the coast and could therefore only be reached by rowing boat, a dam was added in 1830 to connect the building to the island for $ 2,500 (today about $ 71,400) . It became known as the "Bridge of Sighs" (German: "Bridge of Sighs") because it was regularly used by couples as a place to say goodbye when the man set off on a sea voyage.
In 1847 the wooden and already rotten breakwater was replaced by a construction made of stones for $ 4,700 (today about $ 150,300). In 1856 a 4th order Fresnel lens was installed in the tower, and the building was expanded over the years to include a warehouse, an oil store and a fog bell. Due to its exposed location, the building was constantly exposed to the elements and had to be constantly repaired, so that most of the lighthouse keepers only stayed a few years. In 1939, the United States Coast Guard took over the lighthouse and promptly demolished the ailing buildings. Because local residents voted against installing an automatic light on a scaffolding tower, the Coast Guard proposed relocating a cast-iron lighthouse from Crane Beach in Ipswich from Crane Beach in Ipswich , which was ultimately approved.
The tower was therefore dismantled, transported by ship to Edgartown and rebuilt there. It was given modern, automatic optics that generate a red flash every 6 seconds. In 1985 the Vineyard Environmental Research Institute leased the lighthouse and upgraded it to a plastic lens and solar power in 1990 . As early as June 15, 1987, it was entered in the National Register of Historic Places under number 87001465 . In 1994 the lease was transferred to the Martha's Vineyard Museum, which is operated by the Martha's Vineyard Historical Society . In 2007 the lighthouse was extensively renovated with funds from the city of Edgartown.
In January 2014, the lighthouse became the property of the City of Edgartown after it was declared obsolete for shipping by the United States Coast Guard in 2012 and was cleared for purchase.
architecture
The 45 ft (13.7 m) high, made of cast iron in Italianate architecture constructed building stands on a foundation of granite blocks . The cylindrical, conical building structure is painted white, the fire house black. In 1985 the lighthouse was renovated. In 2001 the foundation was restored and rededicated to the Children's Lighthouse Memorial . In 2007 the lighthouse was restored inside and out; Among other things, new windows and a new spiral staircase were installed so that it could be opened to visitors in 2008.
technology
The lighthouse emits a flash of red light every 6 seconds, which can be seen up to 5 nm (9.3 km ) away. A 250 mm lens has been used as the light source since 1990, replacing the original 4th order Fresnel lens from 1856.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d Jeremy D'Entremont: Edgartown Light History. 2015, accessed on March 26, 2015 .
- ^ National Register Information System . In: National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . Retrieved March 13, 2009.
- ↑ a b c Coast Guard Lighthouses. United States Coast Guard , accessed March 25, 2015 .
- ^ A b Rowlett, Russ: Lighthouses of the US: Southeastern Massachusetts. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , accessed March 26, 2015 .
- ↑ Light List Volume I. ( PDF ) Department of Homeland Security , United States Coast Guard , 2015, p. 141 , accessed on March 25, 2015 (English).
