Notes:
(1) Marblehead Light was built to mark the entrance to Marblehead Harbor.

      As early as 1622, Thomas Graye established a fishing and trading outpost in Marblehead, near Forest River (Leggs Hill Road).  In 1629, Marblehead was settled as a fishing plantation by Thomas Graye and Isaac Allerton.  By 1632, Marblehead was exporting cured fish to Europe.

      In 1636, the first Colonial slave ship, The Desire, was built and launched from Marblehead.  The 120-ton ship captained by William Pierce set a new sailing record to London in 23 days.  The Fort Darby Ferry began service to Salem in 1637.  The agents of Britain’s King declared Marblehead to be “the greatest towne for fishinge in New England” in 1660.  Marbleheads’ maritime fishing and trading economy continued to expand until the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

      By 1831, Marblehead fishermen made their living at the Grand Bank, a fishing territory off Newfoundland, and the town voted to build a Lighthouse on Point O’ Neck on August 30, 1831.  There was a four year struggle with the federal government about where to locate the Lighthouse.

      In 1835, a 20-feet high white conical brick Tower and “Bird-cage” style Lantern Room was built on Point O’ Neck (presently Marblehead Neck) and connected to the Keeper’s cottage by a covered walkway.  Marblehead Lighthouse was First Lit on October 10, 1835 exhibiting a Fixed White Light illuminated by a sperm Oil Lamp visible to 12-miles.  Ezekiel Darling, a former gunner on the U.S.S. Constitution (“Old Ironsides”), was appointed as the first Lightkeeper.  In 1843, I.W.P. Lewis, Civil Engineer to the U.S. Light-house Survey, honored Keeper Darling who kept the Light Station in perfect order according to the inspection report filed by Lewis.


      In 1860, Jane E. Martin was appointed the second Lightkeeper and tended Marblehead Light to 1863. At the time, Jane E. Martin, who previously assisted her father at nearby Bakers Island Light, was the only woman Lightkeeper on the east coast.

      In 1869, a seawall over Riverhead Beach was constructed to Marblehead Neck providing access to the neck via the Ocean Avenue causeway and the Eastern Yacht Club was established in 1870.  Marblehead Neck became a popular summer resort due to the growing interest in yachting and its beautiful harbor.  By 1880, Marblehead Light was obscured by houses and the Light could not be distinguished from the home lights at sea.  A temporary solution was raising an Auxiliary Light to the top of a 100-foot mast near the Lighthouse in 1883.

      From 1895 to 1896, the present 105-feet high square cast-iron skeletal and center cylinder Tower with a black Lantern Room was built.  The new Lighthouse was First Lit on April 20, 1896 exhibiting a Fixed White illuminated by a Sixth-order Fresnel Lens and a Kerosene-fueled Lamp.  The Light’s Characteristic was changed Fixed Red in 1933 and is currently Fixed Green.  A spiral stairway in the center Tower leads to the Lantern Room.


      In 1948, Chandler Hovey donated his Point O’ Neck land to the town and the land surrounding the Lighthouse was named Chandler Hovey Park in his honor.  A scenic drive passing by colonial Yankee homes and yacht clubs leads to Marblehead Lighthouse at Chandler Hovey Park on Marblehead Neck where views of the ocean cliffs are on one side and the picturesque harbor with sailboats is on the other end of the neck.

      In 1960, Marblehead Light was automated, the Fresnel lens was replaced with a modern plastic optic and the Keeper’s House was demolished.  The Lighthouse was sandblasted and repainted military brown in 1993.

(2) 1835 Optic/Characteristic: Sperm Oil Lamp, Fixed White (FW) visible for 12 miles
      1883: Auxiliary Light was hung at the top of a 100 foot high Mast because the original Tower was obscured by the surrounding development.

      April 20, 1896 Optic/Characteristic: Sixth-order Fresnel Lens, Fixed White, Kerosene-fueled
      1933 Characteristic: Fixed Red (FR)

(3) Directions from MA-114 East in Marblehead:
      Turn Right onto Bubier Road (0.1-mi), turn Right onto Atlantic Avenue (290-feet), turn Left onto Ocean Avenue (0.8 mi), turn Left onto Harbor Avenue (0.9 mi). Harbor Avenue becomes Ocean Avenue (0.2 mi). Bear Left onto Follett Street (one way) and drive to the parking area at the end.


      Marblehead Light can be viewed from any spot in Chandler Hovey Park which is also a outstanding location to watch sailing regattas and to fly kites.

      As with many New England Lighthouses, a private boat or a Lighthouse cruise offers picturesque scenic views of the Marblehead Lighthouse, and Marblehead harbor: