Since 1828 Nobska Light has served as a familiar beacon for ships at sea. Standing 87 feet above sea level, its flash every six seconds is visible 17 miles out to sea, and its 28,000 candlepower light used a 1000-watt lamp magnified by a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. A red section visible on the east side of the lantern house warns ships away from Hedge Fence and L'Hommedieu Shoals south of the Cape. The present 42-foot tower was constructed in 1876 to replace the original "Nobsque" light, a stone cottage with a light tower on top that had stood since 1828. Made of a cast iron shell lined with brick, the tower was built in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and transported to Cape Cod in four sections. The front half of the current keeper's house was also built in 1876; originally painted dark maroon-brown, it later gained a covered walkway to the tower in 1899 and a second assistant keepers house in 1907. Over time, windows, doors, porches, and walkways were altered, and the color changed to Coast Guard white with a red roof. Nobska Light became part of the Coast Guard in 1939 when the U.S. Light House Service merged with it, but the keepers remained civilians until Mr. Hindley retired in 1973 and active duty Coast Guard keepers assumed the duty. In 1983 the light was automated, and the two keepers houses were joined to become quarters for Commander Coast Guard Group Woods Hole and his family, while the Woods Hole Group served the mainland and islands from Plymouth, Massachusetts, to the Rhode Island-Connecticut state line.

Photo: Baldwin Coolidge

Photo: Frankie

Photo: Frankie

Woods Hole, Massachusetts · USA