The Gay Head Lighthouse Michael Blanchard/The Crossroads Gallery T he five lighthouses on the Island of Martha’s Vineyard represent the most diverse group in a small, contained area in the country, according to lighthouse enthusiasts. All of the lighthouses are on the north side of the Island: they look out over Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound, and over the entrance to Edgartown Harbor and Cape Poge. The West Chop Lighthouse was the Island’s last manned light. The lighthouse was built in 1817, and in 1838 the wooden building was replaced by the present brick structure. It was moved back from the edge of the 60-foot-high bluff in 1848 and again in 1891. Today, the small caretaker’s cottage at its foot is occupied by Coast Guard personnel. The East Chop Lighthouse in Oak Bluffs stands on the site of one of the first telegraph signals, set up in 1828. Signals from Nantucket were received here and relayed on to Woods Hole, Bournedale, South Plymouth, Duxbury, Marshfield, and Dorchester Heights. A series of raised and lowered arms and flags conveyed news about cargos of ships arriving at Nantucket. In the mid-1800s, Captain Silas Daggett built a privately owned lighthouse on East Chop. It was funded by local merchants who sailed in the area and by some of the ships passing through. Many, however, refused to pay a fee after they arrived safely in port and this lasted only six years. In 1875, the U.S. government bought the lighthouse and the present cast-iron structure was built on the cliff 79 feet above the sea. Until 1988, when it was painted white, the East Chop Light was fondly called the Chocolate Lighthouse, for its brown-red color. The original Edgartown Lighthouse was built in 1828, on a small man-made island in the Edgartown harbor. An Act of Congress allocated money to build it 1⁄4 mile from shore. Later, $5,500 was appropriated to complete the project and Seth Vincontinued 2019 -20 Travel Guide 93 LIGHTHOUSES
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