Assistant Lighthouse Keepers 7/28- Thacher Island - South Tower

 Thacher Island - South Tower
The Thacher Island towers are identical and were completed in 1861.  They are each 124 feet high, with 156 steps to the top and stand about 164 feet above the waterline.  Each tower is 22 feet in diameter at the base and narrows to 13 feet at the lantern room.  They are constructed of solid granite on the outside with a two-foot thick inner wall of brick.  Each block of granite weighs over 10 tons.  From the tower, one is able to see the skyline of Boston to the south, and the mountains of Maine to the northwest.  Looking down to the southeast about a half mile offshore you may see an iron pole jutting out from the water.  This marks an area called the "Londoner" so named because of the reef just below the surface which has claimed hundreds of vessels, most bound to Boston from London in the early 1700s.  This reef was one of the reasons the original twin towers were built by the British of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1771.  The other reason was to be able to differentiate Cape Ann Light Station from Boston Light to the south and Portsmouth Light to the north.

• The only currently operating twin lighthouses in America
• One of only seven twin and one triple lights built - all on the Atlantic coast
• The twin lights were the eleventh and last lighthouses built under British rule in 1771
• Thacher Island lighthouses were the first to mark a “dangerous spot” along the coast, all previous lights were built to mark harbor entrances
• The twin lights were distinguished from other lights on the coast prior to the development of revolving lenses and unique blinking patterns
• Original First Order Fresnel lens from the South Tower is on display at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Groton CT
• First test site for Winslow Lewis’ modified Argand lamp in 1814 which was later adopted for use in all U.S. lighthouses

The south tower is near the lighthouse keeper's house.  Part of our duty was to unlock the lighthouse in the morning and lock it in the evening.  We could also climb up and open the door at the top or leave it to the docent that came on certain days.  My goal was to climb the lighthouse every day, so I took it upon myself to do this.  On one of the first nights, I climbed the tower to watch the sunset.  While at the top, my phone died and I had no light as I descended the 156 steps.  I spooked myself by thinking about the stories that I had read and the people that had died in the waves upon this island.  Needless to say, I brought a flashlight on the other evenings that I climbed the lighthouse.

The house to the left is the assistant lighthouse keeper's home, and attached to it on the right is the 'apartment'. We stayed in the apartment which I loved.  In the background (in the middle) is the wheel house.  This is the south tower lighthouse.  And finally, you can see the solar panels.

A boat passes offshore.

The wheelhouse, south tower, assistant lighthouse keeper's home and the lighthouse keeper's home.

North tower to the left, south tower to the right.

One of our duties this week was to put the flag up in the morning,
and take it down in the evening.

This is the south tower from the ocean.  I took this when we went out lobstering,
and John took us on a boat ride around the island.

Here you can see the south tower in the foreground,
and the north tower in the background.