Ned Point Light

Ned Point Light is a historic lighthouse on Ned's Point Road in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts. The lighthouse was built in 1838 at a cost of approximately $5,000, and named after Ned Dexter, a local farmer. Under the supervision of a local builder, Leonard Hammond, the lighthouse was constructed with a birdcage-style lantern similar to Bird Island Light found in Marion, Massachusetts. The stone used for the lighthouse was all locally sourced, with most of it originating from nearby beaches. Insider, there are 32 granite steps that are cantilevered to the outside wall without the use of mortar. The original lantern used 11 whale oil lamps, each with its own parabolic reflector. The lamps and reflectors were replaced by a fifth order Fresnel lens in 1857, along with a change to an octagonal lantern. The Great Blizzard of 1888 significantly damaged the keeper's stone house, resulting in it being demolished and the building of a wooden replacement.[2]

The original Ned Point Light in Massachusetts, showing its original bird-cage lantern and keeper's house

Ned Point Light

Ned's Point Light in 2012
Ned Point Light
Location	Mattapoisett, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°39′3.133″N 70°47′44.336″W
Year first constructed	1838[1]
Year first lit	1838
Automated	1923
Deactivated	1952–1961[1]
Foundation	Natural / Emplaced
Construction	Stone
Tower shape	Conical
Markings / pattern	White tower with black lantern
Tower height	39 feet (12 m)
Focal height	41 feet (12 m)
Original lens	Fifth order Fresnel lens
Current lens	9.8 inches (250 mm) lens (1996)[2]
Range	12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi)
Characteristic	Isophase white, 6 seconds
Fog signal	none
Admiralty number	J0504
ARLHS number	USA-533
USCG number	1-17095[3][4][5]
Heritage	place listed on the National Register of Historic Places
Ned Point Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
MPS	Lighthouses of Massachusetts TR
NRHP reference No.	87001488[6]
Added to NRHP	June 15, 1987

Following the lighthouse's automation in 1923, the keeper's house became unnecessary. The original stone keeper's house was loaded on a barge and taken to Wing's Neck Light in Bourne, Massachusetts. The lighthouse was deactivated from 1952, but remained under control of the US Coast Guard. Following modernization in 1961, the lighthouse was reactivated in 1961 with its current 6-second isophase.[2] The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and approved in 1988.[2][6]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Plymouth County, Massachusetts

References

1. "Ned Point Light". National Park Service. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
2. "Ned's Point Lighthouse". US Lighthouses. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
3. "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Massachusetts". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
4. Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2013. p. 158.
5. Rowlett, Russ (2013-03-20). "Lighthouses of the United States: Southeast Massachusetts". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.