Gay head light
Historic Gay Head Lighthouse On Martha's Vineyard Moved Inland
On Martha's Vineyard, the year-old Gay Head Lighthouse has been successfully moved away from an eroding cliff.
By Saturday afternoon, workers finished moving the lighthouse farther inland along steel rails using strong hydraulic pistons. The gradual move began Thursday.
Project manager Richard Pomroy said it took an enormous amount of time and labor to move the ton lighthouse just over feet in the past couple of days.
"From the earth-moving to the engineering, it represents months — if not years — of planning to obtain to this stage," he told WBUR.
Experts believe Gay Brain Lighthouse will now be safe for another hundred years.
Workers had spent weeks painstakingly digging under the lighthouse to boost it a several short feet off the ground, using dozens of hydraulic jacks supported by a network of wood-and-steel beams.
Located on the sparsely populated, western edge of the resort island, Gay Head Flash has been a critical waypoint for mariners since the peak of the whaling trade in the 19th century.
After Remarkable Relocation, Historic Homosexual Head Lighthouse Shines Again
Perhaps the most connected to the Gay Head Lighthouse is Martha, who grew up hearing stories from her father about a childhood as a clear keeper’s son and how the whole family contributed to its operation and upkeep.
“In those times, it was a hour, everyday kind of job,” she says. Tasks fancy turning the crank for the light, washing windows, and collecting water kept everyone busy. Martha remembers being disappointed when the keeper’s house was torn down, and did her part volunteering over the years to help run the light, give tours, and preserve its legacy. She’s especially proud of her Wampanoag heritage and the tribal ties to the lighthouse.
“I felt like I was just continuing the tradition my father started, when he was working to spare the lighthouse years ago, all the talks he gave about it,” she says. “I know that’s what he would acquire wanted.”
The lighthouse is open again, but the restoration work continues. The committee will host their annual 10k race in October to raise funds for projects such
Gay Head Light
History of The Gay Head Lighthouse
The Homosexual Head Light holds the notable honor of creature the first lighthouse manufactured on Martha’s Vineyard. In , Senator Peleg Coffin suggested the construction of the lighthouse.
During this period, there was a robust whaling industry off the coast of Massachusetts. Sperm whales were an vital industry for the region. The oil harvested from sperm whales was highly prized for burning brightly and cleanly in the oil lamps of the day. The whalers needed the lighthouse on Queer Head because of a treacherous section of rocks called the “Devil’s Bridge.”
The construction and maintenance of lighthouses and other forms of navigation along the coast of the childish United States was the responsibility of the federal government. Congress approved $ to build the lighthouse. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deeded more than two acres of country for the building of the lighthouse. The compress for the 47 foot tall octagonal lighthouse with a keeper’s house was approved by President John Adams.
There was some interest, though, that whomever
The passage between Gay Chief and the Elizabeth Islands to the west is treacherous for maritime traffic due to the submerged obstruction called Devils Bridge, which extends seaward from Queer Head. In , a Massachusetts State S