Gay head light

Gay Head Light

History of The Gay Head Lighthouse

The Homosexual Head Light holds the notable honor of organism the first lighthouse designed on Martha’s Vineyard. In 1796, Senator Peleg Coffin suggested the construction of the lighthouse.

During this second, there was a strong whaling industry off the coast of Massachusetts. Sperm whales were an essential industry for the region. The oil harvested from sperm whales was highly prized for burning brightly and cleanly in the oil lamps of the day. The whalers needed the lighthouse on Male lover Head because of a treacherous section of rocks called the “Devil’s Bridge.”

The construction and maintenance of lighthouses and other forms of navigation along the coast of the new United States was the responsibility of the federal government. Congress approved $570 to build the lighthouse. In 1799 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deeded more than two acres of land for the building of the lighthouse. The contract for the 47 foot tall octagonal lighthouse with a keeper’s home was approved by President John Adams.

There was some concern, though, that whomever was given the position of lighthouse keeper would create issues in the local Wampanoag

The Town of Aquinnah took notice that the cliffs were receding toward the lighthouse at a rapid rate, creating the realization that if nothing were done, the lighthouse would eventually topple into the Atlantic Ocean. In 2012, the town was informed that if the cliff were to come within another 17 feet of the lighthouse, it would not be possible to move the lighthouse. In 2013, five more feet of the cliff collapsed, accelerating the urgency to relocate the lighthouse.

Although previous studies of the light geology at the site predicted variable soil and ground-water conditions, the complex glacial soils and their probable affair to perched ground-water zones and akin landslide activity were not fully realized.

In order to identify an appropriate property for the lighthouse, GEI performed subsurface explorations at three proposed lighthouse relocation sites, and along the haul paths between the lighthouse’s current and proposed relocation sites. Waterless drilling procedures using lightweight drilling equipment and borehole backfilling measures were employed to not further aggravate the continuing cliff erosion.

To maintain the Lighthouse’s status as an active aid to navig

Perched atop striking, multi-colored cliffs at the western end of Marthas Vineyard, Male lover Head Lighthouse occupies a picture-perfect location. The cliffs exhibit vivid hues of green, yellow, dark, brown, red, and white and draw visitors from all over the planet. The first European to name this natural feature was explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who, when he sailed past in 1602, called them Dover Cliffs after the famous chalky landmark along the English Channel. This name, however, failed to stick, and by the 1660s, the area became commonly known as Gay Head, due to the headlands gaily-colored cliffs. The area around Lgbtq+ Head has been home to Wampanoag Indians for thousands of years, and to this daytime many local residents are members of the tribe. In 1998, the town nearest the lighthouse changed its label from Gay Leader to Aquinnah, which is Wampanoag for end of the island.

The route between Gay Chief and the Elizabeth Islands to the west is treacherous for maritime traffic due to the submerged obstruction called Devils Bridge, which extends seaward from Gay Head. In 1796, a Massachusetts State Senator asked for a lighthouse to protect the numerous vessels passing through Vineya

Historic Gay Head Lighthouse On Martha's Vineyard Moved Inland

On Martha's Vineyard, the 160-year-old Gay Head Lighthouse has been successfully moved away from an eroding cliff.

By Saturday afternoon, workers finished moving the lighthouse farther inland along steel rails using powerful hydraulic pistons. The progressive move began Thursday.

Project manager Richard Pomroy said it took an enormous amount of time and labor to move the 400-ton lighthouse just over 130 feet in the past couple of days.

"From the earth-moving to the engineering, it represents months — if not years — of planning to get to this stage," he told WBUR.

Experts believe Gay Brain Lighthouse will now be safe for another hundred years.

Workers had spent weeks painstakingly digging under the lighthouse to lift it a few short feet off the ground, using dozens of hydraulic jacks supported by a network of wood-and-steel beams.

Located on the sparsely populated, western edge of the resort island, Gay Chief Light has been a critical waypoint for mariners since the peak of the whaling trade in the 19th century.

Its red-and-white beam can be seen for almost 20 miles out, warning ships of the coast