Having
visited over three-hundred lighthouses, only a few were part of a range
light system. This is the only range light I've ever seen that was
located in a church tower. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)
Like the star that guided the wise men safely to Bethlehem, this church
light has guided the mariners at Beverly, MA safely to shore.
The steeple of this 1801 First Baptist Church in Beverly, MA,
houses the Hospital Point Range Rear Light. In 1927, the light was
installed in the steeple to work in conjunction with the front range light to guide mariners safely into the channel.
The light is located in the square window about mid-way up the church steeple,
and the church is located one mile to the west-northwest of the Hospital Point
Range Front Lighthouse, pictured below. The church light (rear light),
at 183 feet above the street, can only be seen two degrees either side of the
range line by mariners. By aligning the two lights, front with rear, mariners
knew they were safely in the middle of the channel.
The Hospital Point Range Front Light is also located at Beverly,
MA. The first lighthouse here was built in 1872 on the grounds of this
one-time smallpox hospital. That lighthouse was a primitive wooden structure
used only until the permanent pyramidal brick tower was completed the following
year. From the first, Hospital Point Lighthouse has essentially been a range
light. It was designed to show brightest along the center of the main ship
channel between Baker and Little Misery Islands. The original light is a
Federal-style light. Its flashing white front beacon is 73 feet above sea level
and is visible all around. In 1947, the Hospital Point Range Front Light was
automated and the station became quarters for the First Coast Guard Commander.
At the time of my visit here in 2001, both of these range lights were active lights.
No comments:
Post a Comment