Bird Island Light
Encyclopedia
Bird Island Light is an historic lighthouse
at the entrance to Sippican Harbor, Marion, Massachusetts
.
The current 31 ft (9 m)
tower was built when the light was first established in 1819. Three months after it was first lit, with William Moore as the keeper, it was badly damaged by a storm. It was again severely damaged on September 8, 1869 and, again, repaired. It was deactivated by the USCG in 1933. All of the buildings except the tower were destroyed in the hurricane of 1938
. In 1940 the island passed into private hands and was acquired by the Town of Marion in 1966. The light was briefly lit in 1976. The Bird Island Preservation Society was formed in 1994 and on July 4, 1997, the light was relit as a Private Aid to Navigation.
The island, but not the tower, is open to visitors except during the May through August nesting season of the endangered Roseate Tern
.
The island was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as Bird Island Light on September 28, 1987, reference number
87002030.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at the entrance to Sippican Harbor, Marion, Massachusetts
Marion, Massachusetts
Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Marion Center, Massachusetts.-History:...
.
The current 31 ft (9 m)
tower was built when the light was first established in 1819. Three months after it was first lit, with William Moore as the keeper, it was badly damaged by a storm. It was again severely damaged on September 8, 1869 and, again, repaired. It was deactivated by the USCG in 1933. All of the buildings except the tower were destroyed in the hurricane of 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938
The New England Hurricane of 1938 was the first major hurricane to strike New England since 1869...
. In 1940 the island passed into private hands and was acquired by the Town of Marion in 1966. The light was briefly lit in 1976. The Bird Island Preservation Society was formed in 1994 and on July 4, 1997, the light was relit as a Private Aid to Navigation.
The island, but not the tower, is open to visitors except during the May through August nesting season of the endangered Roseate Tern
Roseate Tern
The Roseate Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in bill colour and minor plumage details....
.
The island was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Bird Island Light on September 28, 1987, reference number
87002030.