Gay Head Cliffs | Martha's Veyard

Contents:

• HISTORY OF THE GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE
• HISTORIC GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE ON THE MOVE
• GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE MOVE IS PLETE
• GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE
• GAY HEAD LIGHT
• THE GAY HEAD LIGHT, EARLY DAYS
• MEET THE BUILR WHO IS MOVG THE HISTORIC GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE
• GAY HEAD CLIFFS

HISTORY OF THE GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE

The Gay Head Lighthoe was the first lighthoe nstcted on Martha’s Veyard.

HISTORIC GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE ON THE MOVE

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.

GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE MOVE IS PLETE

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 LIGHTHOE

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.

From 1956 to 1985, the tomated Gay Head Light was spargly mataed by the Uned Stat Coast Guard.

GAY HEAD LIGHT

In the mid-1980s, due to Uned Stat Coast Guard fundg shortag, the Gay Head Light along wh two other Martha’s Veyard lightho (East Chop Light and Edgartown Harbor Light) were listed for stctn.

This lighthoe license gave plete ntrol over the management and matenance of Gay Head Light stcture (except the aid to navigatn) and s surroundg grounds.

THE GAY HEAD LIGHT, EARLY DAYS

The proceeds om the lighthoe benefs were applied to a major rtoratn of the Gay Head Light, and plans were ma to open the light and grounds to the public. The Gay Head Light was reopened to the public 1986 for the first time sce s closure 1956. (Gay Head Light Prcipal Keeper 1930-33).

On October 12, 2012, Aqunah rint Elise LeBov met wh Aqunah Board of Selectmen to clare the need to form a Commtee to save Gay Head Light, based on rmatn veloped by Keeper Skidmore; cludg prelimary se viss wh reprentativ om Internatnal Chimney, and her pennt rearch to other muni that had faced a siar prediment. The selectmen voted unanimoly to take her remendatn and form a Commtee to Save the Gay Head Lighthoe. On October 30, 2012, a Martha’s Veyard Mm legatn prised of David Nathans, who was then executive director, Betsey Mayhew, chief fancial officer, Jim Richardson, board member and geologist, who had lent his expertise to the e, Craig Dripps, chair of the Mm’s Lighthoe mtee, and Keeper Skidmore— went to the Aqunah Board of Selectmen and reported their fdgs about the need to save Gay Head Light by movg .

In late 2012, a mtee to save Gay Head Light was formed Aqunah by Elise LeBov, who beme the chairman.

MEET THE BUILR WHO IS MOVG THE HISTORIC GAY HEAD LIGHTHOE

The official fundraisg mpaign, head by Mzi Pratt and Meg Bodnar, began on June 21st, 2013 wh the announcement that the Natnal Tst for Historic Prervatn had put the Gay Head Light on ’s 2013 list of Ameri’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Plac. In Febary 2015, after months of discsn wh several feral and state agenci, cludg the Natnal Park Service, the US Coast Guard, the Department of the Interr, the State Historic Prervatn Office, the Town of Aqunah acquired Gay Head Light.

On Augt 11th, 2015, Gay Head Light was re-l at s new lotn. Grane foundatn ston, found durg the exvatn for the move were placed a circle markg the spot where Gay Head Light had stood for 159 years.

Followg the move, the SAVE THE GAY HEAD LIGHT mtee was disband, missn acplished, and the Gay Head Light Advisory Board was formed to oversee the future needs of the buildg. By September 1st, 2016, the old se had been renstuted, and the new Lighthoe Park, adjacent to Gay Head Light, was opened to the public. Grants are beg sought by the Town of Aqunah Gay Head Light Advisory Board.

GAY HEAD CLIFFS

The recent announcement of a $59, 000 matchg grant om the Massachetts Prervatn Projects Fund sur that, the Autumn of 2017, necsary brick work will be acplished— the latt example of the Town of Aqunah’s re for the Island’s preement marime in, Gay Head Light. The Gay Head Lighthoe on Martha's Veyard was threatened by years of erosn. Prerly perched Gay Head Lighthoe is on the move Martha’s Veyard.

“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, ” the Natnal Tst for Historic Prervatn’s webse said s listg of the 1854 lighthoe on s 2013 list of the Most Endangered Historic Plac.

Before started movg, the lighthoe was jt 46 feet om the edge of Gay Head Cliffs. “The Gay Head Lighthoe is really one of the inic landmarks that intifi this island. Coast Guard and will still functn as a bean to marers after s move, acrdg to a Gay Head Lighthoe webse operated by a mtee anized to save the historic stcture.