Today In History: First Lighthouse in America

The Lighthouse was then a silvery, misty-looking tower with a yellow eye, that opened suddenly, and softly in the evening. Now—James looked at the Lighthouse. He could see the white-washed rocks; the tower, stark and straight; he could see that it was barred with black and white; he could see windows in it; he could even see washing spread on the rocks to dry. So that was the Lighthouse, was it? No, the other was also the Lighthouse. For nothing was simply one thing. The other Lighthouse was true too.

-- Virginia Woolf, To the Lighthouse, (Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1981, p.186.)

Known as "sentinels of the sea", lighthouses are isolated structures that beam their rays an average of  12-20 nautical miles (about 14-23 land miles) in clear weather. They are designed to lead sailors through darkness, or ships through the night -- true feats of engineering that evoke a sense of hope, nostalgia, mystique, and mystery. Braving pounding waves and harsh winds, they guide us to ports of destination, but also witness disappearances -- usually of of shipmen, occasionally of their own keepers (note the Flannen Isles Lighthouse, Outer Hebrides, Scotland). Lighthouses top national landmark registers and continue to be visited each year by many persons curious about their history.

Did you know that on July 23rd, 1715, the Massachusetts legislature approved construction of the first lighthouse in the now known United States of America? Little Brewster Island, located in Boston Harbor, became home to historic Boston Light, the oldest continuously used lighthouse and the only actively staffed one in our country since 1716 . Originally 60 feet tall, its white stone tower, marked by five steel bands and black trim, was accompanied by a Keeper's House, Generator Building with foghorn, Oil House, and Cistern and shelter. Destroyed by the British in 1776, this already impressive lighthouse was re-built in 1783, then to tower some 75 feet over a busy port that ushered in sailors and soon goods traded from all over the world. Some 7 years later, another 14 feet were added to achieve its current height of 89 feet.

Harbor resident George Worthylake was Boston Light's first keeper who lived on Little Brewster with his family, two enslaved persons, and one servant. Boston Light remained staffed for centuries -- even with automation in 1998-- and it drew even more attention when Sally Snowman became not only its first civilian keeper, but first female keeper in 2003.

Boston Light  flashes its steady white beam every ten seconds through a rare Fresnel lens, providing visibility for up to 27 nautical miles (31 miles). The increased use of Boston's North Harbor for large ships has meant greater reliance on Graves Light, located just nine miles offshore of downtown Boston, though Boston Light holds a special place in the maritime landscape.

The following articles are drawn from Proquest Historical Newspapers, which informs and inspires classroom teaching and learning.

• Boston's First Lighthouse  Was First in This Country. (1909, Nov 24). The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Boston Light's 200th Birthday: Three Observances Mark Anniversary of Beacon Table Unveiled. (1916, Sep 26). Boston Daily Globe (1872-1922) 
• Stone, L.V. (1939, Aug 05). Boston Light Is Grandad of Lighthouses: America's First Lighthouse. The Christian Science Monitor (1908-) 
• Caldwell, G. (1984, Aug 26). To the Lighthouse. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• L, M. (1990, Aug 30). Life at Boston Light. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• McLaughlin, J. (1998, Jan 18). Hull Steps Up Effort to Host Lighthouse Museum. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Kageleiry, J. (1998, Aug 09). They Keep the Light Burning: Only Boston Light Reflects Tradition. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• English, B. (1999, Apr 24). The Light Brigade: A Lonely Life of Guarding a  Rare Manned Boston Harbor Lighthouse. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Robert Carroll, G. C. (2003, Nov 09). Keeper Blazes Trail at Lighthouse: 'First' Role Suits History Buff. Boston Globe (1960-) 
• Nichols, R. (2006, Aug 17). Preservers Help Lighthouse Fend Off Dark Age. Chicago Tribune (1997-) 

Tips:

• Baltrusis, S. (2016). Haunted Boston Harbor (1st ed.). Haunted America. e-book.
• Bleyer, B. (2019). Long Island and the Sea : A Maritime History. The History Press. e-book.
• House, K. L. (2008). Lighthouses for Kids : History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities (1st ed.). Chicago Review Press. e-book.
• Carse, R. (1969). Keepers of the Lights ; A History of American Lighthouses. Scribner.  Closed Stacks Curr ; VK1023 .C37.
• Keenan, C., & Quale, S. (1997). Portrait of a Lighthouse School : Public Education in Bronxville, New York (First edition.). Bronxville School History Committee. Stacks ; LA339.B76 K44 1997.
• Morgenroth, L. (2006). Boston Firsts : 40 Feats of Innovation and Invention That Happened First in Boston and Helped Make America Great. Beacon Press. e-book.
• Snowman, S. R., & Thomson, J. G. (2016). Boston Light. Arcadia Publishing. e-book.

Images:

• Boston Lighthouse, by Abhinaba Basu, 2012, Wikimedia Commons.
• Poster Image: The First Light-House Build within the Limits of the United States, 1884, Library of Congress Digital Collections.
• Boston Light, by Daniel P. B. Smith, 2006, Wikimedia Commons.

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