Nobska Point Lighthouse at Woods Hole Cape Cod Massachusetts
by Linda Stern
Title
Nobska Point Lighthouse at Woods Hole Cape Cod Massachusetts
Artist
Linda Stern
Medium
Photograph - Photograph, Photography, Fine Art Photography
Description
A glorious October day at Nobska Point Lighthouse in Woods Hole, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In the 19th Century, construction of lighthouses along the Atlantic coast was critical for the safety of merchant mariners transporting goods and materials by sea. In 1828, the U.S. government purchased four acres on Nobska (Nobsque) Point for $160 and the first lighthouse on the site, a wooden structure that incorporated Keeper’s quarters, was constructed at a cost of $2,249.
In 1841, the first Fresnel lens (pronounced “frennel”) was installed. Named for French physicist Augustin Fresnel, these massive glass lenses are cleverly designed to gather light from a source, concentrate it and emit a beam with a range of many nautical miles. Peter Dagget, the lightkeeper in 1845, reported using ten oil lamps, which consumed 339 gallons annually, carried by hand up to the light room.
The wooden light structure operated for 47 years and was replaced in 1876 by the present, 40-foot tall cast iron lighthouse, which was manufactured in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A separate house for the lightkeeper was also built that year. The Fresnel lens was upgraded to a larger, 4th-order lens in 1888; this lens is still in place today and may be viewed during a lighthouse tower tour.
Uploaded
October 23rd, 2023
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