Notes:
(1) Cape Poge Light was built to guide navigation around the point approaching Edgartown Harbor.

      Cape Poge is located on the northeast point of Chappaquiddick Island which at times was connected to Martha’s Vineyard by South Beach.  Cape Poge and Cape Poge elbow are barrier beaches protecting the natural deep water harbor of Edgartown.

      By 1800, the busiest waters in the world outside the English channel were within the Sounds of Cape Cod bounded by Gay Head Lighthouse on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard to Great Point Lighthouse on the Northeast end of Nantucket Island.  Edgartown Harbor is a well protected port and a significant harbor of refuge for sailing vessels navigating the Sounds of Cape Cod.

      In 1801, Congress appropriated $2,000 to build a Lighthouse on Cape Poge to aid navigation approaching Edgartown Harbor.  A 35-feet high wooden Tower was built exhibiting a Fixed White light 55-feet above sea level.  Cape Poge Light was important to the whaling fleets and coastal trading vessels en route to Edgartown Harbor.

      By 1825, Edgartown became a major prosperous Whaling center and seaport by provisioning the whaling fleets of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.  Bakeries, chandleries, sail lofts, and shipping firms were built on the waterfront of Edgartown Harbor to serve vessels en route to the seaport.  Thirty Whaling masters lived on Chappaquiddick Island during the Golden Age of the whaling industry.

      In 1825, the three-room Keeper’s house was moved further inland from the edge of the eroding bluff.  According to Lightkeeper Thomas Mayhew, the encroaching sea and erosion claimed two acres of land surrounding Cape Poge Light within the past 24 years.  The Lighthouse was relocated in 1838.

      In 1843, I.W.P. Lewis, Civil Engineer to the U.S. Light-house Survey, reported the entire Light Station was in a severe state of disrepair with leaky rotten structures.  In response, a new 33-feet high octagonal wooden Lighthouse and a larger Keeper’s house were constructed in 1844.  The optics were refitted with a Fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1857.


      After the collapse of the whaling industry in 1871, Vineyard mariners continued to pilot sailing ships through the perilous tides and around the shoals of the Cape Cod Sounds.  The waterway was still busy with commerce between Boston and New York until the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914.  Cape Poge Light as well as other Lighthouses in the region continued to be important aids to navigation.

      By 1893, the encroaching sea was threatening the Lighthouse again and the present “temporary” 35-feet high white conical wood shingled Tower was built 40-feet further inland.  The Lighthouse was considered a temporary structure yet the Tower has been moved inland from the edge of the eroding cliff four times between 1907 and 1987.


      In 1943, Cape Poge Light was automated and the Keeper’s house was sold as surplus to a private owner in 1954.  The Lighthouse was relocated 500-feet inland and a Solar-powered 300 mm Lens was installed in 1987.  Today, Cape Poge Light continues to be a important active aid to ferries, pleasure boats, and sailing yachts.

(2) The Optics were refitted with a Fourth-order Fresnel Lens in 1857 and the original Fresnel Lens is on Display at the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society Museum, Edgartown, MA.

(3) The Tower was Rebuilt in 1844 and 1893.  Due to Bluff erosion, the Tower has been moved Five times:
1838, 1907, 1922 (moved 95 ft), 1960 (moved 150 ft), and 1987 (moved 500 ft).

(4) Directions:
      There are at seven Ferries to Martha’s Vineyard: from Woods Hole, from Falmouth to Edgartown, from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs and from Hyannis on Cape Cod, Massachusetts; from Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts; and a Ferry leaves from Montauk, NY.

      Since there are several ferry landings on the island, further driving directions are from the Edgartown-Chappaquiddick ferry, take Chappaquiddick Road (2.5-mi).  At a sharp right curve, continue straight onto Dike Road, a dirt road, for 0.5 miles to Dike Bridge. Drive over Dike Bridge to the Cape Poge gatehouse and entrance.

      Cape Poge Light is a 3.5-mile hike from the Cape Poge gatehouse since there is no oversand vehicle access to Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge due to severe beach erosion at Wasque Point.  Cape Poge Wildlife Refuge and Wasque Reservation offers a 1-1/4 Hour Tour of Cape Poge Lighthouse in season and Reservations are required.

      A Sailing Cruise departs from historic Edgartown Harbor exploring the harbors and coastline around Martha’s Vineyard.  Depending upon the course, all five island Lighthouses may be seen from the water.

---

      In season, several companies provide 2-1/2 hour Sightseeing Bus tours of the island that may pass by four of the island’s Lighthouses.