Gay Head Lighthouse: The First Light on Martha's Vineyard

by William Waterway

Standing tall on the colorful clay cliffs of Martha's Vineyard, Gay Head Lighthouse has provided safe passage to seafarers since 1799. The steadfast tower marks a dangerous and heavily traveled passage between the island and mainland known as Devil's Bridge. Being the first lighthouse on the Vineyard, Gay Head Light has a rich and varied history filled with stories of inspirational lighthouse keepers, disastrous shipwrecks and even mysterious deaths. Today, Gay Head Light serves as an iconic symbol of the island's maritime history and attracts visitors from around the world. Join author William Waterway as he charts the history of the lighthouse from the original wooden tower lit with oil lamps to the rebuilt brick structure that houses the famous Fresnel lens.

Genres: Local History

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2014

Reviews

[Pat Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in the history of lighthouses will enjoy this book. It is an interesting background into the history of the first lighthouse on Martha's Vineyard and it's keepers and families. It was certainly a 24/7 job under very difficult conditions and for very little money. Being from Cape Cod I am fascinated by all their history.