Great Point Light, officially Nantucket Light, is a lighthouse located on the northernmost point of Nantucket Island.[1][2][3] First built in 1784, the original wooden tower was destroyed by fire in 1816. The following year a stone tower was erected which stood until toppled in a storm in March 1984. Rebuilt again in 1986, the stone tower was built to replicate the old one, and still remains in operation today. Modern additions include solar panels to recharge the light's batteries, and a sheet pile foundation and 5-foot (1.5 m) thick concrete mat to help withstand erosion.

Great Point Light
Map
LocationGreat Point, the northerly extremity of Nantucket, Massachusetts Island, southerly side of the easterly end of Nantucket Sound.
Coordinates41°23′24.6″N 70°2′53.8″W / 41.390167°N 70.048278°W / 41.390167; -70.048278
Tower
Constructed1769 Edit this on Wikidata
FoundationConcrete
ConstructionStone, Concrete and Plastic
Automatedcirca 1955
Height70 feet (21 m), 71 feet (22 m) above sea level.
ShapeCylindrical
MarkingsWhite tower with covered way and white framed dwelling, black lantern room, small white oil-house to southward of dwelling
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Fog signalNone
Light
First lit1986 (current tower replaced destroyed 1818 tower)
Deactivated1984, rebuilt 1986
Focal height71 feet (22 m)
LensThird order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 system (current)
Rangewhite 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi), Red 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
CharacteristicFlashing white 5s with a red sector from 084° to 106°. Covers Cross Rip and Tuckernuck Shoals.
Nantucket Light
NRHP reference No.82005272
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 28, 1982
Removed from NRHP1986

The lighthouse sits on a thin spit of beach where the currents of the Atlantic Ocean and Nantucket Sound meet.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 as Nantucket Light and removed after the destruction of the listed structure in 1986.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 116.
  2. ^ Rowlett, Russ (March 10, 2010). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southeast Massachusetts". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  3. ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
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