Hospital Point Lighthouse

Hospital Point Light was constructed and first lighted in 1872 to help guide vessels into Salem and Beverly Harbors. The original two-story keeper's house and oil house are still being used. The name Hospital Point stems from a smallpox hospital built on this site in 1801. The hospital, used as a barracks in the War of 1812, burned down in 1849. A watch house was built on these grounds as early as 1711. The "J" shaped earth-work fort, which still stands, was built on the upper grounds in 1775. The lighthouse was automated in 1947 and still serves as a Federal Aid to Navigation. The Light Keeper's House is home to the First Coast Guard District Commander and his or her family. It is a brick structure with a granite foundation, a tower height of 45 feet, a height and focal plane of 70 feet, a fixed white light, and a 3 1/2 order Fresnel lens.

Beverly, Massachusetts · United States