Cape Poge Light

Cape Poge Light stands on the northeast tip of Chappaquiddick Island off Martha’s Vineyard, where erosion has made its history unusually mobile. First built in 1801 as a 35-foot wooden tower, it was extinguished during the War of 1812 and repeatedly moved or rebuilt as the shoreline wore away. New towers rose in 1844, 1880, and 1893, and the present tower was relocated four more times, including by helicopter in 1987, a first for a lighthouse. Automated in 1943 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, it remains an active aid to navigation under Coast Guard auspices and local operation.

Edgartown, Massachusetts · United States