Gay head lighthouse history
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 illuminated keeper’s son and how the whole family contributed to its operation and upkeep.
“In those times, it was a 24-hour, everyday kind of job,” she says. Tasks appreciate 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 control 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 rescue the lighthouse years ago, all the talks he gave about it,” she says. “I know that’s what he would contain 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 as cleaning and replacing windows, reinforcing steel support and brick walls, and maintaining the
The passage between Gay Head and the Elizabeth Islands to the west is treacherous for maritime traffic due to the submerged obstruction called Devils Bridge, which extends seaward from Gay Top. In 1796, a Massachusetts State Senator asked for a lighthouse to defend the numerous vessels passing through Vineya
On Tuesday afternoon, October 21, 2013, Gay Head Lighthouse researcher William Waterway discovered the 1844 stone foundation for Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts’s original wooden Gay Leader Lighthouse that was built in 1799. Mr. Waterway has a long personal history with the Male lover Head Light and is currently writing a publication about the lighthouse to be published by History Press in early 2014.
“This discovery is of major importance to the history of the Same-sex attracted Head Lighthouse, and to the present effort to save the existing lighthouse,” said Mr. Waterway. “This 1844 stone foundation was built to hold the original 1799 wooden Male lover Head Lighthouse when it was moved back 75 feet from the eroding cliffs. With this uncovering, we will now be able to calculate the rate of erosion of the Gay Head Cliffs from 1799 to the present time. This is the first time in history we’ve had such solid evidence as an historic reference point.”
The current brick Gay Brain Lighthouse replaced the authentic 1799 wooden lighthouse in 1856. Today, the Male lover Head Lighthouse is threatened by erosion, and was recently placed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List of Endangered Lighthouse as well as the National Trust f
Gay Head Light
History of The Gay Head Lighthouse
The Queer Head Light holds the notable honor of existence the first lighthouse manufactured on Martha’s Vineyard. In 1796, Senator Peleg Coffin suggested the construction of the lighthouse.
During this moment, there was a fit whaling industry off the coast of Massachusetts. Sperm whales were an key 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 youthful United States was the responsibility of the federal government. Congress approved $570 to build the lighthouse. In 1799 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deeded more than two acres of land for the building of the lighthouse. The contract for the 47 foot tall octagonal lighthouse with a keeper’s residence was approved by President John Adams.
There was some concern, though, that whomever was given the position of lighthouse keeper would create issues in the local Wampanoag
.