#nobska point light

[eregyrn-falls-art]

Went down to Woods Hole, MA, on Cape Code, for brunch on Sunday. Afterwards poked around Woods Hole and Falmouth; and I wanted to see Nobska Light while we were there. While chilly and windy, we were still feeling the benefits of the warm weekend, and had to bundle up less than you'd expect for a trip to the Cape in February.

Nobska Light is very cute and scenic! It wasn't open, and while the Keeper's house seems to have been renovated and is planned to be a maritime museum, it wasn't open either. On the other side of the road was a short path to the cliff above the ocean (really, Vineyard Sound), where we looked out at Martha's Vineyard to the east, and the Elizabeth Islands chain to the west. Birds spotted: common eiders, red breasted mergansers, and a long-tailed duck drake came flying in.

Here's the text of the historical sign:

NOBSKA LIGHTHOUSE Latitude 41 30' 54" N Longitude 70 39' 20" Since 1828, Nobska Light has provided a familiar beacon for "all who go down to the sea in ships". 67 feet above sea level, Nobska's flash every six seconds is visible 17 miles out to sea. This 28,000 candlepower light used a 1000-watt lamp magnified by a Fourth Order Fresnel lens. The red section visible ton the east side of the lantern house warns ships away from Hedge Fence and L'Hommedieu Shoals south of the Cape. The present tower is 42 feelt high and was constructed in 1876. It was built to replace the original "Nobsque" light, a stone cottage with a light tower on top which had stood since 1828. The present tower is made of a cast iron shell lined with brick. It was built in Chelsea, Massachusetts and transported to Cape Cod in four sections. The front half of the current "keeper's house" was also built in 1876. Originally painted dark maroon-brown, it had a covered walkway to the tower attacked in 1899 and a second "assistant keeper's house" added in 1907. [Note: see bottom-right photo above.] Over the year, windows, doors, porches and walkways have come and gone and the color has been changed to the classic Coast Guard white with red roof. [Note: this sign is now out of date; the keeper's house is no longer white, although it still has its red roof; it is now covered in cedar shingles, which have weathered to a grey color.] Nobska Light became part of the Coast Guard in 1939, when the U.S. Light House Service merged with the Coast Guard. Despite this change, the keepers of the light remained civilians until Mr. Hindley retired in 1973, when active duty Coast Guard keepers took up the duty. In 1983, Nobska Light was automated. The two keepers houses were joined and became the quarters for Commander Coast Guard Group Woods Hole and his family. The Woods Hole Group serves the mainland and islands from Plymouth, Massachusetts to the Rhode Island/Connecticut state line.

Older photos above and some information came from:

The Enterprise, Falmouth: "History of Nobska Light Sheds Light on More Than Navigation" (July 15, 2015)

New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. History of Nobska Point Light, Woods Hole, Massachusetts

Friends of Nobska Light

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[ammg-old2]

In the early 19th century, sailors making their way to Providence, Rhode Island, depended on the signal of the Warwick Neck Light to safely find their way. While it no longer carries the navigational significance it once did, the 51-foot tower continues to preside over Narragansett Bay from its clifftop perch. 

Now, this historical property’s dramatic views could be yours.

This year, the General Services Administration (GSA) will give away six of the historic beacons, including the Warwick Neck Light, at no cost. An additional four will be sold via public auction. The goal of the transfers is to preserve the historic buildings, even as technology renders them obsolete.  

For hundreds of years, lighthouses have welcomed travelers to the shores of the United States. However, the advent of navigation technologies like GPS has left many of the shore’s sentinels without a practical purpose. Since the passage of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000, the GSA has been transferring ownership of lighthouses “no longer critical to the U.S. Coast Guard’s mission needs” to groups willing to preserve them, according to a statement from the agency.

“People really appreciate the heroic role of the solitary lighthouse keeper,” says John Kelly of the GSA’s office of real property disposition to Mark Pratt of the Associated Press (AP). “They were really the instruments to provide safe passage into some of these perilous harbors which afforded communities great opportunities for commerce, and they’re often located in prominent locations that offer breathtaking views.”

At many lighthouses, upkeep is challenging: Two of the structures up for auction, the Penfield Reef Lighthouse in Fairfield, Connecticut, and the Stratford Shoal Light in the middle of the Long Island Sound, are accessible only by boat.

“They’re such unusual reflections of our history that it takes a certain kind of person who wants to be a part of that,” Robin Carnahan, administrator of the GSA, tells the New York Times’ Michael Levenson.

For now, the lighthouses won’t be available to just anyone. The GSA is first offering them at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofits, educational agencies and community development organizations. To be eligible, interested buyers must be able to maintain the historic property and allow the public to access it. More than 80 lighthouses have found a new owner—and stable future—through this process so far, according to the GSA.

Several of the lighthouses up for grabs this year are already under the care of nonprofits, which can apply to continue their work, Kelly tells the AP. For example, the Nobska Lighthouse in Falmouth, Massachusetts is maintained by the Friends of Nobska Light, which has applied for the transfer of ownership, according to the Cape Cod Times’ Zane Razzaq.

If no owner is found, the lighthouses will be offered for sale to the public via auction. The GSA has auctioned 70 lighthouses to date, in sales ranging from $10,000 to over $900,000, reports NPR’s Emma Bowman.

Other lighthouses going to auction this year include the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light in Cleveland, Ohio, and the Keweenaw Waterway Lower Entrance Light in Chassell, Michigan. The list of transfer-eligible lighthouses includes Lynde Point Lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut; Plymouth/Gurnet Lighthouse in Plymouth, Massachusetts; Little Mark Island and Monument in Harpswell, Maine; and Erie Harbor North Pier Lighthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania.

[oldthymefarm]

Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Celebrations 2005 Limited Editions Harborside Village Lighthouse.

[thou-art-momo]

Nobska Light, Woods Hole MA

[shoma-style]

Check out this listing I just found on Poshmark: Cape Cod Lighthouses T Shirt M Beige Nauset Nobska.

[trvphoto]

#Seeing #and #looking. #with @nationalparksatnight at the #CapeCod #national #seashore #photo #workshop . #light #lighthouse #sunset #ma #mass #massachusetts #sky #clouds #window #floating (at Nobska Point Lighthouse)

[visitcapecod-blog]

Major Tourist Attractions of Cape Cod Seashore

Miles and miles of virgin and pristine beaches and sand dunes, combined with sea facing cottages, museums, art galleries and lighthouses, are just some of the attractions, which have made Cape Cod seashore one of the favorite destinations spot with the vacationers. While, there are several activities and things to do in Cape Cod, which one can indulge in, while visiting this scenic and serene seashore destination, here’s looking at some of the major ones.

Walking through the sand dunes at Cape Cod National seashore is an experience to be cherished with words failing to describe the same. Taking a stroll across sand dunes of Cape Cod seashore allows one to enjoy high cliffs, walking through sand marshes, vernal pools and ponds. For the more adventurous types, there are kayaking, canoeing and surfing activities, which they can undertake under the supervision of trainers. Cape Cod seashore also offers self guided bike trails. The best option is to take help of Cape Cod Travel Guide.

Cape Cod seashore boasts of as many as 16 lighthouses with some of them allowing the visitors to climb atop them for enjoying the panoramic view of the shoreline and the ocean. Highland Light, which happens to be one of the oldest lighthouses, constructed in 1797, has now been reconstructed after being declared dangerous and demolished in 1857. The lighthouse is open for visitors from the months of May to October every year. Some of the other prominent lighthouses are Race Point, Nobska Point, Nauset and Chatham.

Apart from beaches and sand dunes, Cape Cod has various gardens and museums, for the art lovers. Taking a walk through Heritage Museum and Gardens, earlier named as Heritage Plantations, one can witness wide range of plant collections, native trees, shrubs, etc. This garden, situated in Sandwich, is spread over a 100 acre area. Cape Cod museum has an excellent collection of Norman Rockwell’s most notable works apart from a 1919 T-Ford model and 1909 Steam Car.

Visit to Cape Cod is incomplete if one does not indulge in the experience of watching sunrise and sunset at Race Beach Point. This is the only place in the country, having convergence of Cape Cod Bay and Atlantic, which allows one to watch the sun rise and then set over the water, all within the course of 24 hours. Province Lands Bike Trail is a perfect place for enjoying a nice bike ride while watching the sailboats passing by.

For vacationers, visiting Cape Cod seashore between April and October can enjoy watching Fin and humpbacks whales, which are spotted during the said period. One can take exclusive whale watching excursions from Macmillan and Fisherman’s Wharf, located in the town center. Apart from whales, there are seals and dolphins too, which can be seen during the excursion trip, which lasts for around three to four hours and are conducted under the supervision of expert professionals.

 For more Info:- Cape Cod Activities

[carcosiandreamer]

Nobska Light

  A Light in the Darkness Lighthouses Lead the Way to Safety. Sitting high on a hill at the mouth of Woods Hole harbor sits Nobska Point Lighthouse.  It has a base that is 80 feet above sea level and a cast iron tower that rises 40 feet above that.  Built in 1829 and then rebuilt due to a weight issue 50 years later, it has served as a landmark during the day and a beam of safety at night for…

[ride-shotgun]

A light in the night • • • • • #travel #blogger #love #igers #igdaily #photography #travelblogger #style #newengland #nikon #nature #architecture #fiercetravels #socal #california #passionpassport #theworldguru #spottedplaces #iamtb #capecod #mass #lighthouse #nobska #beach #summer #ocean (at Nobska Point Lighthouse)

[iseultsdream]

Nobska Light on Nobska Point just out of Woods Hole, MA - on a foggy morning in early May If I am heading to Falmouth after getting off the ferry as I was on this foggy morning in May, I always take the longer, scenic coastal road from Woods Hole to Falmouth which passes the Nobska lighthouse, rather than taking the more common inland route. It is a beautiful drive along a narrow winding road with wonderful views across Vineyard Sound to the Vineyard, although on this particular morning the Island was hidden by the fog. An odd thing I have always noticed, is that the Vineyard always looks much closer to the mainland from this side, than when looking at the mainland from the Vineyard side. The actual distance between the two is about 7 miles. Nobska Point Light above here with attached lighthouse keeper’s house was built in 1876 with a fifth order Fresnel lens, replacing a smaller Cape Cod style lighthouse keeper’s house built in 1828 which had an octagonal light tower that projected from its roof. The light was automated in 1985, and the lighthouse keeper’s house is now the home for the US Coast Guard Group Woods Hole, now called Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.

[thou-art-momo]

A series of Cape Cod Lighthouses🌊✨💙 instagram: @thou_art_momo

[imgoingcoastal]

Nobska Point Light, Woods Hole, Cape Cod, Massachusetts