Notes:
(1) Derby Wharf Lighthouse was built as one of the Range Lights marking the safe shipping channel into Salem Harbor. Derby Wharf Light and Fort Picking Light were the third pair* of Range Lights guiding navigation into the harbor.

      Derby Wharf is a symbol of Salem’s “Golden Age” as a wealthy American International Port from 1784 to 1850.  Derby Wharf was constructed from 1764 to 1771 by the financing of Elias H. Derby, a wealthy Shipping merchant, for his expanding fleet of trading ships.  His ships opened trade with Russia (1784), Mauritius, China (1785), and the East Indies as well as distant places in Europe unloading highly profitable goods at Derby Wharf.  During the Revolutionary War, 158 Salem privateers sailed from Derby Wharf to seize the prizes of 455 British vessels.  From 1806 to 1808, the wharf was extended to a half-mile in length.

      Due to the numerous hazardous ledges and shoals in Salem Sound, two new sets* of Range Lights were authorized in 1869 to aid navigation entering Salem Harbor.  In 1870, a 14-feet high by 12-feet square brick Lighthouse was built and Derby Wharf Light was First Lit in January 1871 exhibiting a Fixed Red light illuminated by a Sixth-order Fresnel Lens 25-feet above sea level.  A Federal Revival Architectural style was used to design the square brick Tower to complement the Federal style of the 1819 U.S. Custom House directly across from Derby Wharf.  Mariners aligned Fort Pickering Light with Derby Wharf Light to sail the safe channel into Salem Harbor.  Ironically, Derby Wharf Lighthouse was constructed when Salem began to decline as the center of International Trade yet local coastal commerce and fishing continued to be significant endeavors.

      Due to the location of Derby Wharf Light to Salem’s waterfront, resident Lightkeepers were never needed.  Caretakers serviced the Light and resided in the city.  Six caretakers were appointed to tend the Lighthouse from 1871 to 1970 when the Light became automated.

      In 1906, the optics were refitted with a Fourth-order Fresnel lens exhibiting a Flashing Red light.  The Range Light was reclassified as a harbor light and the optics were refitted with a Sixth-order Fresnel lens exhibiting a Fixed Red light in 1910.  The Light’s Day-mark was changed by painting the brick Tower white in 1922.

      In 1970, Derby Wharf Light was converted to electric power and automated exhibiting a Flashing Red light.  The Coast Guard deactivated the Lighthouse in 1977 and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site acquired ownership in 1979.  Derby Wharf Light was refitted with a solar-powered 155 mm Lens and relighted as a private aid to navigation in 1983.

      The active Derby Wharf Light commemorates the lively maritime heritage of Derby Wharf and Salem’s prosperous seaport during the 18th and 19th centuries.

*Prior to 1871, Mariners unfamiliar with the unmarked hazards of Salem Sound were endangered by numerous rocks, ledges, and shoals. After 1871, navigation entering Salem Sound and Salem Harbor was safely guided by two sets of Range Lights and Hospital Point Light:

First Passage: Aligning the Bakers Island Range Lights marked the Approach to Salem Sound.

Second Passage: Hospital Point Light marked Salem’s main shipping channel through Salem Sound between the dangerous ledges and shoals.  Salem Channel is a safe deep-water shipping channel in Salem Sound leading to Beverly, Salem, and Marblehead harbors.  In 1927, the steeple of Beverly’s First Baptist Church became the Hospital Point Rear Range Light to further aid navigation in the Salem Channel by aligning the Hospital Point Range Lights.

Third Passage: Mariners near Curtis Point would sight Fort Picking Light and align with Derby Wharf Light to navigate the safe shipping channel into Salem Harbor.

      In 1871, the two sets of Range Lights and Hospital Point Light “completed the shipping channel system for the Harbor of Salem” to aid coastal commerce and cod and mackerel fishing.

(2) Directions from Boston:
      SR-1A (William F McClellan Hw) Northeast (4.6-mi). At Timothy J Mahoney Cir, exit onto SR-60 North (American Legion Hwy, 0.9-mi) to SR-107 North (Broadway, 8.9-mi).  Turn Right onto Summer Street (SR-114) for 390-feet, turn Left onto Norman Street (SR-114) East for 0.3 miles, and bear Left onto Derby Street (SR-1A) for 0.4 miles to the U.S. Custom House at 174 Derby Street.

      Derby Wharf Lighthouse is across from the U.S. Custom House.  Parking is available nearby at the public parking garage at Derby Street and Congress Street or the parking garage across from the Salem Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street.


      The Lighthouse can also be viewed from tours of Salem Harbor:


Reserve a 3-hour Sailing Tour of Salem and Marblehead departing from Pickering Wharf.