Palmer Island Lighthouse

Year Built

1849, and rebuilt after a hurricane in 1938

Cost

$3,500

Type

Conical rubble tower

Height

23 feet

Location

New Bedford

Automated Year

1941

First Lit

1849

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

Original: Bell - Current: none

Year Deactivated

1962

Color

White

Last Keeper - Date

Andrew Zuius (1939 – 1942)

Description

A stone rubble tower and discontinued when the harbor's hurricane barrier was built in the early 1960s.

Brief History

•  Keeper William Sherman first lit the tower’s lamps on August 30, 1849.
•  In 1856, Palmer Island Lighthouse was one of twenty in the district to receive a new fifth-order Fresnel lens.
•  On September 21, 1938, the worst hurricane in New England history, The Great New England Hurricane, battered the south-facing coastline catching everyone unaware.
•  Ownership of Palmer Island passed through many hands, including that of radio station WBSM, until in 1978.
•  New restoration efforts, including a new paint job and various repairs culminated in a ceremony to mark Palmer Island Light’s 150-year anniversary in 1999.