Gay Head Light, featured Martime History of Massachetts travel erary. Explore historic marime s Massachetts listed the Natnal Register of Historic Plac.
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GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE
Gay Head Lighthoe was the first lighthoe built on Martha's Veyard and one of the first the U.S. to receive a first orr Frnel lens 1856. The lighthoe is immediate danger of topplg over the edge of the Gay Head Cliffs, a nsequence of a century of erosn and the direct impact of climate change. * gay head lighthouse history *
The Gay Head Lighthoe was the first lighthoe nstcted on Martha’s Veyard. In 1796, bee both islands were eply volved the whalg dtry, marime traffic had creased to the pot that Peleg Coff of Nantucket wrote his Congrsman askg for a light to be erected at Gay Head.
In 1799 The Commonwealth of Massachetts ed two acr and four rods to the feral ernment for the se of the Gay Head Lighthoe. This thorizatn was to help facilate safe passage for shippg traffic through the hazardo Veyard Sound between the Gay Head clay cliffs and the Elizabeth Islands. 1852 saw the Feral Lighthoe Board issue a 760-page report statg that Gay Head Lighthoe was “not send to any on the eastern ast, and should be fted, whout lay, wh a first-orr illumatg apparat.
” In 1853 lighthoe keeper Samuel Flanrs reported to the Veyard Gazette: “Gay Head is to have a new lighthoe, 5 or 6 rods back om the prent one, a new dwellg hoe is also to be erected”. The prevly dim Gay Head Light was now bright enough to be nfed wh the send orr Frnel lens that was the Sankaty Light on Nantucket, and at least one shipwreck occurred.
GAY HEAD LIGHT
* gay head lighthouse history *
Before beg shipped to the Uned Stat, the Frnel lens missned for the Gay Head Light was exhibed at the 1855 Paris Exhibn of Indtry, and won first-prize. At the time of stallatn, Gay Head was listed as one of the most important lighthoe lotns the Uned Stat. After stallatn, the Gay Head Light received nsirable publicy.
On May 15, 1874, the beam pattern was changed om jt flashg whe to three wh and one red, to distguish Gay Head om all other lights along the East Coast. Vanrhoop, Sr., a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aqunah), beme the first Wampanoag keeper 1920. By 1956 the Gay Head Light was fully tomated and the keeper’s ttage was torn down.