Also saw a view of this light from the Hull Lifesaving Station in Hull Massachusetts. I had previously toured this light on a Boston Harbor Tour.
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| The view from Hull Lifesaving Museum |
Boston Light
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Location
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Year first constructed
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1716
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Year first lit
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1783 (current tower)
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Automated
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1998
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Deactivated
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1776-1783 and during WWII.
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Foundation
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Granite Ledge
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Construction
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Masonry, Rubble Stone with brick lining
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Tower shape
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Conical
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Markings / pattern
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White with five steel bands and black trim
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Height
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89 feet (27 m)
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Focal height
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102 feet (31 m)
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Original lens
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Tallow candles installed in 1716
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Current lens
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2nd order Fresnel lens
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Intensity
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1,800,000 candlepower
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Range
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27 nautical miles (50 km; 31 mi)
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Flashing white every 10 seconds.
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HORN: 1 every 30s
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USCG number
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Boston Light
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Location
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Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor, Boston, Massachusetts
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Coordinates
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Area
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3.5 acres (1.4 ha)
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Built
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1716
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Governing body
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COAST GUARD
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Lighthouses of Massachusetts TR (AD)
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NRHP Reference #
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Added to NRHP
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October 15, 1966
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Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States. The current lighthouse dates from 1783, is the second oldest working lighthouse in the US (after Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey), and was the only lighthouse to still be actively staffed by the United States Coast Guard, being automated in 1998 though there are still volunteer keepers acting as tour guides. The structure was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
History
The first keeper of Boston Light was George Worthylake, who drowned, along with his wife and daughter, when returning to the island in 1718. During the American Revolution, the original lighthouse was held by British forces and was attacked and burnt on two occasions by American forces. As the British forces withdrew in 1776, they blew up the tower and completely destroyed it. The lighthouse was eventually reconstructed in 1783, to the same 75-foot (23 m) height as the original tower. In 1856 it was raised to its present height of 98 feet (30 m) and a new lantern room was added along with a 12-sided second order Fresnel lens.



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