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

      In 1643, Winter Island was fortified to defend Salem Harbor.  Salem was a thriving seaport established by the Atlantic triangular trade during the colonial period.  During the Revolutionary War, Salem privateering captured or destroyed 455 British vessels and the Fort defended privateers and Salem Harbor.  In 1798, the fort was renamed Fort Pickering in honor of Colonel Timothy Pickering who served as Quartermaster General, Postmaster General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State under George Washington.

      After the Revolutionary War, Salem became a prosperous international maritime trading center as one of the principal seaports establishing American economic independence.  The 32-gun frigate, USS Essex, was built at Winter Island with subscriptions from Salem merchants.  On September 30, 1799, the USS Essex was launched to protect American shipping interests.  Fishing, coastal trading, and shipbuilding continued to be important maritime industries after the “Golden Age of Salem” (1784 to 1850).  Fort Pickering was garrisoned for defense during the War of 1812, the Spanish-American and Civil Wars.

      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 1871, a 32-feet high brick-lined Cast-iron Lighthouse was built on a concrete foundation slightly offshore from Winter Island.  Fort Pickering Light exhibited a Flashing White light illuminated by a Sixth-order Fresnel Lens 28-feet above sea level.  A walkway connected the red painted Lighthouse to the shore.  Mariners aligned Fort Pickering Light with Derby Wharf Light to sail the safe channel into Salem Harbor.  A two story Victorian Keeper’s House was also constructed.


      A new U.S. Coast Guard Air & Sea Rescue Station was built on Winter Island in 1934 because there was no space to expand the Ten Pound Island, Gloucester Air Station.  The new Hanger was designed to handle the larger flying boats to patrol the coast.  On October 21, 1944, Salem Air Station was designated as the first U.S. Air & Sea Rescue service on the eastern seaboard.

      In 1969, Fort Pickering Lighthouse was replaced by a offshore buoy when the Coast Guard abandoned the Winter Island facilities.  Flying boats were replaced by amphibious helicopters and the new Cape Cod Air Station replaced the Salem Air Station.

      After years of no maintenance, the Lighthouse showed the signs of extreme wear with its door underwater due to the Blizzard of 1978.  Local residents and businesses formed the Fort Pickering Light Association in 1983 and restored the Lighthouse.  Fort Pickering Lighthouse was relighted as a private aid to navigation during the same year.

      In 1994, the Light was refitted with a ML-300 Lens powered by Solar Panels.  Fort Pickering Lighthouse was completely renovated by the American Steeple Corporation of Salem who repaired the iron work, replaced Lantern glass, and repainted the Tower in 1999.

      The active Fort Pickering Light commemorates the lively maritime heritage of Winter Island where a Fort defended the harbor, a Lighthouse guarded shipping interests, and an Air Station protected New England waters.  Presently, the Winter Island Maritime Park, a seasonal RV & Tent Campsite, overlooks the Lighthouse.

*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 MA 1A North in Salem:
      Turn Right onto Webb Street, turn Left onto Fort Avenue, Turn Right onto Columbus Square/Winter Island Road, and stay straight to go onto Winter Island Road (marked by a “Winter Island Marine Recreation Area” sign).


      From May to September and weekends of October, there is a parking fee.  After the entrance gate, drive toward the shoreline to view the Lighthouse.  Trails lead around the Lighthouse and through the remains of Fort Pickering.  The grounds are managed by:

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      As with many New England Lighthouses, a private boat or a Lighthouse cruise provides picturesque scenic views of the Fort Pickering Lighthouse, Winter Island, and Salem harbor: