Massachusetts - Newburyport Harbor Lighthouse

The Newburyport Harbor Lighthouse is located at Plum Island, MA. - The original lights were a pair of wood-framed range lights built in 1783 on the dunes at the north end of Plum Island, on the south side of the river's mouth. When mariners aligned the two lights, it meant they were safely in the channel over Newburyport bar and proceeding into the harbor.

Because storms and tides frequently altered the channel's course, the towers were made so they could be moved over the sand. Not an easy task, but apparently a quite regular one. The first towers were replaced in 1838 by a pair of octagonal structures, also portable, and these were repositioned on several occasions during ensuing years. One government report stated, "The towers, being tall and unwieldy, require a strong force of men to shift them from one position to another ... and the frequent necessity of so doing may be estimated by the fact that during nine years past they have both been moved upwards of three thousand feet."

By 1890, the channel had so changed course, the front range light was considered useless and was discontinued. Eight years later, a 35-foot conical, wood-frame tower was built to replace the range lights. The above white shingled structure is the one that was in place at the time of my visit in 2001. It was automated in 1951 and shined a green light from 50 feet above the sea. Shore structures prevent the beacon from being seen in certain sectors to the south and northwest of its location.