Minot's Ledge Lighthouse

Year Built

1850 (first tower)

Cost

$39,000

Type

Conical

Height

87 feet

Location

Offshore Scituate

Automated Year

1947

First Lit

1860 (current tower)

Lens Type

Third order Fresnel lens (original), 300 millimetres (12 in) (current)

Fog Signal

Horn: 1 every 10s

Year Deactivated

1851-1860

Color

Natural granite

Last Keeper - Date

Patrick J. Brides (1940 – at least 1942)

Description

The lighthouse is built of large and heavy granite blocks.

Brief History

•  In 1843, Inspector I. W. P. Lewis, of the Lighthouse Service, emphasized the great need for a lighthouse on Minots Ledge.
•  The light, a fixed beacon with an arc of 210°, was first lighted January 1, 1850.
•  Just before 1 a.m. on April 17, 1851, the great Minots Ledge Lighthouse finally slid over toward the sea.
•  A Notice of Availability, dated June 30, 2009, announced that Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was being offered at no cost to eligible entities.
•  Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse was placed on the auction block on June 25, 2014 and sold on October 13, 2014, with a high bid of $222,000.