Edgartown

Edgartown Lighthouse

An act of Congress, in 1928, appropriated for the construction of a lighthouse on a wooden pier at the entrance of Edgartown harbor. The Edgartown light was the fourth of the Vineyard’s five lighthouses to be constructed. In 1930, a causeway connecting the lighthouse to shore was built. The fierce 1938 hurricane only worsened the condition of the already dilapidated lighthouse, and the structure was demolished shortly afterwards by the Coast Guard. After removing the old building a year later, the Coast Guard dismantled the Essex Light from Ipswich, Massachusetts and brought it to Edgartown by barge as a replacement. The newer, 45-foot tall, cast iron light tower was erected close to the location of the original structure, and still stands today. In 1994, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum (formerly Martha's Vineyard Historical Society) took on the stewardship of the Edgartown Lighthouse. In 2007, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum received funds from the Community Preservation Act from the town of Edgartown for restoration of the Edgartown light. In addition to much needed repair work, it also enabled installation of a staircase, making the interior of the lighthouse accessible to the public for the first time in it’s history.