1716: Boston Light, the first lighthouse in the New World, starts guiding ships into Boston Harbor.

As early as the late 17th century, settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony guided ships into Boston Harbor with bonfires. Seeking a more permanent solution for navigation, the colonial government authorized the construction of a lighthouse on Little Brewster Island at a cost of 2,400 pounds sterling (about $300,000 in today's money). When completed in 1716, Boston Light was one of only 70 lighthouses in the world.

Standing witness to two wars and numerous drownings, the lighthouse was the scene of tragedy and misfortune over the next 50 years. Its first casualty was the New World's first lighthouse keeper, George Worthylake, who drowned along with a slave, his wife and one of his two daughters while returning from Boston after collecting his annual pay of 50 pounds ($6,400 these days). His other daughter, helpless, watched the events unfold from the shore.

A preteen Benjamin Franklin managed to profit from Worthylake's death, roving the streets of Boston hawking copies of a poem he'd written, called "The Lighthouse Tragedy." Franklin never wrote a sequel even though the second keeper, Robert Sanders, drowned only a few days after taking over from Worthylake.

Perhaps due to the fates of his predecessors, John Hayes got a hefty 40 percent pay raise when he took over as the third lighthouse keeper in 1718. Hayes also installed "a great Gun" on the island "to answer Ships in a Fogg." That "great Gun" (a cannon) is still on display on the island, though it was replaced by a bell in 1851 and more recently by a siren that sends out warnings in foggy weather.

The Revolutionary War was a particularly bad era for Boston Light. After the Boston Tea Party, British troops blockaded the harbor and commandeered the lighthouse. In response, American troops burned it down. When British troops started reconstruction work, the Americans burned it down again.

The Brits finally finished the job in 1776, but it wouldn't last. When American troops forced the British fleet out of Boston Harbor, the fleeing Redcoats set fire to Boston Light just so the Americans couldn't use it.

Little Brewster Island remained without a lighthouse until 1783, when the Massachusetts Legislature spent 1,450 pounds ($135,000 in today's cash) to build a new lighthouse which still stands to this day. It was transferred to the new federal government in 1790.

During the War of 1812, the waters near Boston Light saw the famous battle between the *USS Chesapeake *and the HMS Shannon, during which the Chesapeake's mortally wounded Capt. James Lawrence gave the order, "Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship. Fight her 'till she sinks!" That command became the American rallying cry for the remainder of the war, appearing on battle flags as "Don't give up the ship!"

During the 19th and early 20th century, keepers upgraded Boston Light with the latest methods of illumination. The lighthouse witnessed several shipwrecks and even hosted MIT researchers who tested foghorns on the island. As security against enemy ships, the Coast Guard extinguished the lighthouse during World War II.

The lighthouse was electrified in 1948, and in 1998 the first lighthouse in the New World became the last lighthouse in America to receive full automation. Boston Light is now the only staffed lighthouse in America, with a keeper who also functions as a guide for tour groups.

Today, the lighthouse remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Boston. Its second-order Fresnel lens puts out a beam that can be seen from a distance of 26 nautical miles, welcoming ships – as well as jets landing at nearby Logan Airport.

Source: Various

Photo: Boston Light, with Graves Light in background.

Flickr/nantaskart!

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